That Summer
by BattleshipTorres
Summary: AU - Callie, a widow who is struggling with the upcoming crop season, comes face to face with drifter Arizona. Will the two of them be able to help each other out? SongFic. Based on Garth Brooks 'That Summer'. ...Give it a chance!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Hey yall. …I'm back at it. This fanfic is what I guess you would call a SongFic but… I'm going to drag it out past just a couple chapters. I'm not sure how long yet but, shouldn't be more than 15 or so. Anyways, this story is built up around a beautiful Garth Brooks song titled 'That Summer'. Also, giving credit where credit is due, this story was not my idea but SouthernHeart. But…the story line is entirely mine. Hope you all enjoy this piece as much as you have enjoyed my other Fics. And…as always, Reviews equal Love. …Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Standing at the dripping kitchen sink, Callie looked out of the busted window and over the large expanse of her property. Parked out front is an old pickup truck that would probably have better luck in a landfill than on the road. To the right, a tired looking, faded red barn that has more holes than Swiss cheese. Behind that, a broken down fence keeping in the few animals she has left. On the other side of the long gravel drive is the first of many hundreds of empty acres of land, just waiting to be seeded. …_I wonder if I'll be able to make it this year. _The home Callie is standing in is just as beat up and aged as the rest of her land. Pipes are leaking, painted walls are fading, and the roof could use a good overhaul as well. …_just not enough hours in the day. _The clanging of the water heater stirs the Latina from her thoughts and kicks her into action. As with every other Saturday, she straps on her boots, throws on her cowboy hat, loads up the ragged truck and makes the 10 mile trip into town.

Pulling into the small, dusty, town, Callie takes a left and parks out front of a large paned store with the name 'Big Red's' painted across the front. The driver's side door creaks open and the tanned woman steps out into the hot Oklahoma sun. Waving to a few usual passerby's, Callie walks into the cool grocery store and approaches the woman behind the only cash register in the place.

"Hey Adds…" Callie greets her long time friend.

"How's it going Cal?" The red head replies.

"Same ole same ole…" Callie says, looking around the nearly deserted store. "Just here for the usual shopping…" Grabbing one of the few shopping carts, she moves through the aisles at a leisurely pace.

A mile outside of town, a blonde haired, blue eye woman marches to the sound of an aged IPod playlist. A backpack strapped to her body, her worn boots moving below her, the blue bandana that matches her eyes tied to her head soaked in sweat, she continues the long walk she has been on for months. Arizona has been counting the miles to the next town for the last 6 hours, eager to get some more food, water, and most importantly, some shelter from the hot sun. Never really knowing where she is going, she hopes that there might be some work she will be able to do to gain some extra pocket change.

Arizona enters the cool grocery store and shivers as the sweat at her back and brow chill instantly. She gives a polite nod to the red headed woman behind the counter and moves to the back where the chilled water bottles are. Callie has just finished her shopping and moves to the register to checkout, placing all the usual items on the counter in front of her friend.

As Addison starts to scan her friends' items, she asks "So… how's it looking this year?" She knows that Callie is in way above her head but the stubborn woman doesn't know how to quit.

"I don't know… it's the first year I'll have to do it by myself. But… I think I can handle it." Callie responds, trying to convince herself just as much as Addison.

Arizona has gone through the small store and picked out a large bottle of water, a small rack of donuts and a bag of beef jerky. …_excellent road food._ She approaches the register, backpack still strapped to her back, a single ear bud in her ears, and items in hand. The woman in front of her is just paying for her purchase and steps aside so the blonde may pay. Callie stands at the edge of the counter, waiting for Addison to check out the unknown blonde so they can get back to their conversation.

Ringing up the three items, the red head turns to the blonde and says "That'll be $8.79." Arizona smiles at the tall woman as she fishes inside her pockets for the little money she has left. Pulling out some rumpled up and partially damp bills, she is a $1.79 short.

"Sorry…" Arizona breathes out, slightly embarrassed as she pulls off her pack and fishes for her small bi-fold wallet. Emptying that out onto the counter, she counts out just enough coins to pay the tab. Sliding the change across the counter, Arizona takes the three items and stuffs them in her bag. "Thanks." She says, her cheeks still red. Her eyes find those of the tanned woman with jet black hair and she smiles, which gets a smile in return.

"Have a good day." Addison says to the blonde before turning back to her friend. Arizona smiles and nods then turns to leave, but stops mid stride.

Turning back to the women, she says "Excuse me…" Callie and Addison turn to look at the unknown blonde "…would either of you know of anyone looking for an extra set of hands? …Or an odd job the needs to be done?" Arizona asks. Callie just shakes her head as Addison screws up her face in thought.

"Umm…no… sorry." Addison says. Arizona nods, thanks them and turns. But Addison stops her "Wait, actually…." The red head turns to Callie "…don't you need an extra hand around the farm?" Callie just gives her friend a hard glare. "What? …You just said you didn't think you could do it by yourself…" Addison mumbles. Arizona turns a hopeful look to the Latina.

Callie looks at the blonde and racks her brain, looking for a way out. "Do you have any wheat farming experience?" She asks.

"No, ma'am." Arizona answers sadly.

Shaking her head, Callie replies "Sorry, I don't have time to train a newborn…" Arizona just nods. Turning back to her friend, she grabs her bags and says "I'll see you later tonight at Mark's, right?"

Addison nods and says "Yes, ma'am. See you there." And with that Callie walks out of the store, Arizona following her out. Placing the bags in the back of her truck, Callie fires up the loud engine and continues on with her usual Saturday errands. Arizona, little upset at the dismissal she just got …._newborn? What the hell is a newborn? _…she continues down the long dusty road, hoping to find someone in the tiny town that has a small job that will put a few bills in her pocket.

Later that night, Callie is enjoying a greasy burger with Addison at their friend, Mark Sloan, bar. It's a tradition that the three of them enjoy the unhealthy treat once a week, getting together to laugh and joke about the hard lives they live. As the night draws late, Callie calls it a night and bids her friends good bye. Stepping out of the loud bar, she takes a deep breath of the fresh night air and stares up to the sky.

Arizona has just exited out of the back door of Marks bar after working about 4 hours as a dishwasher, earning her twenty bucks. She walks around the corner of the building and onto the sidewalk. Looking up, she sees the woman from the grocery store earlier and watches as the Latina looks to the heavens. The blonde had been chewing on their short conversation earlier and decides to speak up.

"I have experience, you know…" Arizona says, making Callie jump and lock eyes with the blonde. "…life experience." Arizona says, stepping closer to the still unknown woman. Callie is confused, and a little frightened, at this unknown woman's line of thought.

"I may not know anything about wheat farming, but I know how to fix up that rusty bucket of a truck you drive… I can hammer a nail… paint… I'm good with my hands… I'm a fast learner and a hard worker." Arizona continues, staring into the Latina's dark brown eyes. Callie's mind races, trying to think of a way around the blonde woman's argument. …_she doesn't know how to farm…but I do have a lot of other things that need to be worked on. …Maybe…_

Shaking her head, she keeps her eyes on the bright blue ones in front of her that are illuminated by the glow of the lights outside the bar. "….I uhhh…I don't have a room for you…" Callie says.

"All I need is a piece of ground." Arizona replies, hope building with each passing second the woman doesn't shoot her down. She can see doubt still waving in the brown eyes and the blonde continues "Look… Feed me, give me a couple changes of clothes… and for god sakes, let me take a shower every now and then and I'll bust my ass for you. …Sun up to sun down." Her blue eyes beg the brown ones for a chance. Finally, Callie folds.

"I can only give you 15 dollars a day." She says, looking down at the tan, sweaty blonde that still has the bandana tied over her head.

"25." Arizona counters.

"20. That's it." Callie gives her final offer. Arizona gives her a hard look, but then nods and extends her right hand. Callie takes the blondes hand and they give each other a strong shake. "Name's Arizona… Arizona Robbins…"

"Arizona? …Like the state?" Callie asks, laughing lightly as she lets go of her new employees hand.

"No. Like the battleship." Arizona responds shortly.

Callie catches the tone of voice but continues. "Well… Arizona… I'm Callie. …Callie O'M-" The Latina catches herself and corrects "…Torres. Callie Torres." Arizona doesn't miss the slip but doesn't ask. Grabbing her pack from the ground she hauls it over her shoulder and follows her new boss to the run down truck. Throwing her bag into the back, she hops into the passenger's side of the truck and the two strangers head off into the night.

The drive is quiet, neither of the woman knowing what to say. Fifteen minutes later, Callie pulls off the main road and continues down a long gravel driveway. Pulling up infront of her house, the two woman step out of the truck. Arizona grabs her bag as she looks around the property.

"Follow me." Callie says, heading away from the house and towards the barn. Arizona follows as they enter the faded structure. Coming up to an empty animal stall, Callie gestures Arizona inside. Entering, Arizona sees an old cot and an old fashioned lantern set on top of a wooden box.

"So…this is all I got." Callie says. Arizona looks around at her new digs and smiles.

"This is better than any place I've slept in the last few months. …It's great." She gives her boss a dimpled grin. Throwing her sack down on the ground, she brushes off the dirt and hay from the cot and tests the stability of it. …_not too shabby. I can definitely work with this._

"Ok then… well… if you're set here, I'm going to turn in." Callie says, backing out of the space. Arizona smiles and nods. "Good night, Arizona." She says.

"Good night Mrs. Torres, and I'll see you tomorrow." Arizona says politely and Callie leaves. Arizona pulls out her thin sleeping bag and lays it on top of the dark fabric of the cot. Staring up at the ceiling, she thinks to herself how she may have actually gotten lucky and found a job that could put some real money in her very light pocket. Callie walks back to her home and unloads the groceries. Getting ready for bed, she peeks her head into the extra room in her house. …_I can't. Not yet. I'm not ready to let go. _Entering her own bed room, she pulls back the covers of the large bed and lays down on one side….her side. Closing her eyes, she hopes that she hasn't made a huge mistake by letting an unknown woman on to her property and into her life.

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><p>AN2: So…tell me what you think.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So…you all seem to like the story so far. So…here is another chapter. Don't be expecting me to be updating as regularly as I use to but I will when I can. Enjoy! …oh and thanks for all the awesome reviews. You guys are awesome!

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Waking up the next morning after a less than restful night's sleep, Callie goes about her normal morning routine. Shower, then making the bed, getting dressed and getting some breakfast cooked up. She has somehow forgotten about the blonde woman who is taking up residence in her barn and starts to fire up the stove. Looking out across her land from behind the kitchen sink, something seems off. …_something's missing… _Then it comes rushing back to her. The drifter she picked up last night, and now her missing truck from in front of the house. Throwing down the pans she was about to use, she slips into a pair of shoes and runs out of the door.

"I knew she was no good…" Callie grumbles, kicking herself for letting one of the few things in her life still working be stolen from out in front of her nose. Rounding the corner of the house, she see's the front of the barn. Sticking out of the large front door is her beat up truck, with just the front half inside the building. …_what the... _Approaching the mysterious self moving vehicle she hears a sweet voice somewhere in front of the truck, which has its hood raised.

Arizona is bent over the front of the truck, buried waist deep within the inner workings of the aged vehicle. Her ear buds are in her ears and is jamming to one of her favorites.

"Got to not talk dirty baby, if you wanna impress me. …You can't be too flirty mama, I know how to undress me…YEAH" Arizona sings along to Prince, shaking her butt which makes Callie giggle at the sight, but Arizona doesn't hear her. "I want to be your fantasy, Maybe you could be mine… You just leave it all up to me, We could have a good time." Another wiggle of the hips and Callie laughs out loud and leans into the side of the truck, making the old metal vibrate. Arizona feels the sensation and snaps her head up, hitting the raised hood in the process. A loud thud makes the Latina stop laughing and step forward.

"AH! Son of a…" Arizona's hand is on her head, trying to rub out the throbbing pain. She sees her boss and holds her tongue.

"Sorry, didn't mean to spook you…" Callie says, giving the woman an apologetic look.

"No, its fine. I can get a little lost when I'm in a groove." Arizona replies, giving the woman a reassuring smile. Looking down at the beat up iPod clipped to the front of her jeans, she shrugs. "Don't you just love Prince?"

"More than life itself…" Callie says sarcastically as she rounds the truck and bends over the opened hood. "You're not killing her, are you?" She asks, turning to the blonde next to her. Arizona has her worn pair of jeans on and a white tank top on that is now stained with grease and dirt. Her small hands are black and there are a couple grease smudges on her face as well, but somehow, the blonde pulls it off.

"I think she was knocking on deaths door long before I got my hands on her… but no." Arizona says, bending back over the truck, ratchet in hand. "She needs a lot of work but…" Standing back up and looking at her employer, she continues "…with a little TLC, I think she has a long life ahead of her."

"Great, well…" Callie brushes some dirt off her hands and takes a step back from the car and the dirtied woman. "…I was just fixin some breakfast."

"Oh, great. I'm starving." Arizona says, setting down her tools and wiping her cheek, just smearing the grease further instead of wiping it off.

"How do you like your eggs?" Callie asks, trying to hold in the smile that is itching at her face as she watches the blonde make an even bigger mess on her cheeks and forehead.

"As long as they are out of the chicken, I'll eat em." The blonde answers.

"Alright… umm, give me fifteen minutes." The Latina says to the blonde, and then returns to the house to start the cooking. Arizona continues to piece back together the truck as she makes a list of parts Callie will need to purchase the next time she is in town. Finishing up, and slamming the rusty hood shut, Arizona grabs a towel and heads towards the house. Coming up to the back door, she knocks.

"Come on in!" Callie yells from inside. Arizona opens the ripped screen door and steps directly into the kitchen. Glancing over her shoulder, Callie says "The washroom is just down the hall. Second door on the left." Arizona nods and heads down the hall, passing a door on the left and right, and entering the bathroom.

"Wow…" Arizona sighs, taking in the mess of her face. Five minutes later, she steps back out of the bathroom, face clean and hands restored to mostly normal but still having some stubborn spots that refuse to come out. As she returns to the kitchen, Callie is just setting out a second place at the table. Taking a seat, Arizona glances around the room. …_wow…this place could definitely do with some work. Shoulda pushed for 25 a day._

"Here you go." Callie breaks the blondes train of thought as she places a large plate in front of her with what seems like the entire farm yard.

"Mmm…smells great." Arizona replies with eyes wide. "Its been forever since I've had some home cookin like this." Taking a bite of eggs her eyes roll back and she gives a sigh to show a job well done. Callie takes her seat across the square table and digs in as well. The two women eat in silence, not really comfortable around each other yet.

"You're a…. you're not in trouble, are you?" Callie finally asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"You mean like…pregnant?" Arizona asks, confused. Callie laughs and shakes her head.

"No…no I mean, you're not running from the law or anything right? …Because I don't need any of that around here." Callie replies, giving her guest a hard look.

"No, ma'am. I'm not in any trouble." Arizona answers, taking a bite of spicy sausage. The rest of breakfast passes quietly. Taking a second helping of eggs and sausage, Arizona eats her fill. Callie watches the small woman eat enough to feed a small country and thinks …_should have only agreed to pay her 15 a day. She's gonna eat me out of house and home._

Both women step out into the bright Oklahoma morning sun and pull a hat over their eyes.

"Here is a list of some of the chores that need to be done around here…" Callie says, pulling out a two page long list and handing it to the blonde. Arizona scans the elegant handwriting and nods. The women give a nod to each other and both head off to do their own thing.

Arizona digs right in to the jobs on her list. Deciding to start with the a job she can do quickly, just to show her new boss that she serious about her work, she starts to patch up the short wooden fence surrounding the herb garden out back. Grabbing a tool belt from the barn, along with nails and a hammer, she heads to the back of the house.

A little after noon, Callie comes back into the kitchen and looks out the back door. She sees the blonde hunched over a temporary work bench Arizona set up, sanding and painting one of the wooden planks. The white tank top is soaked in sweat, along with the front of the hat the woman is wearing. The Latina watches as Arizona expertly raises the hammer and strikes a nail, driving it deep with just one hit. …_she does know how to hammer a nail. _After taking a couple minutes to wash off her own sweat and stink, Callie makes up a couple sandwiches for the two women. _…not my favorite, but it's easy. _Taking a plate and a tall glass of cold iced tea out back, she approaches the working blonde. Arizona has her ear buds in again but sees her boss approach and sets down the hammer.

"Hey." Arizona says, wiping her face off with the bandana in her pocket.

"Hi. …Fence looks great so far." Callie says, taking in the solid handiwork the blonde has put in. …_maybe it will keep the rabbits out of my herbs finally. _

Taking a look at her own work, Arizona nods. "Yeah… I'm even surprised at how good it looks." A smile puts dimples on the blondes face and a giggle trickles from her lips. Callie smiles at the sound of her laughter.

"Umm…anyways, I brought you some lunch. Want to keep your strength up." Callie hands over the sandwich and glass.

"Awesome. Thank you." Arizona grabs the sandwich and glass. Callie gives her a smile and heads back into the house and the blonde watches as the sad looking woman walks away from her. …_there's a story that comes with that woman… But she doesn't seem like the kind to let a stranger in. …Maybe she'll warm up to me after a while. _Taking a seat under the shade of a tree, the blonde digs into her lunch, taking her first break since breakfast. …_not a fan of sandwiches but…its food._

The rest of the day passes much like the morning. Both women putting in hard work, break sweat across their brow and back, never resting except for a minute. They don't work together, but perform their own tasks silently, Callie lost in her thoughts of the past few years and Arizona jamming to the tunes of her dying ipod. As the sun sets below the distant, and very flat, horizon, Callie calls it a day and heads back into her home. Her shirt is soaked through with sweat which only makes her happy, giving proof to the long hours and amount of effort she put in today. Looking out the back door, the Latina sees the blonde cleaning up her temporary workstation, her job complete. …_looks good. Really good. Maybe she's not so bad after all…_

Having put away all the materials and tools she used throughout the day, Arizona walks around the perimeter of the short fence she fixed up. …_not too shabby. _A growling in her stomach brings her attention to the setting sun. Looking down at her sore hands, she can see a couple of blisters starting to form from the constant use of a hammer, paint brush or manual sander. …_guess my hands need to toughen up a bit._ Taking a deep breath and looking towards the pretty orange of the Oklahoma sky, the smell of fried chicken invades her nose. …_oooo yum!_ _Think I may put on a couple pounds if I get cookin like this all the time. _One last cursory look at the fence, she moves to the house and enters into the kitchen. Callie looks up from the stove and gives the blonde a polite smile. Arizona walks over to the sink and washes her hands as Callie plates them both a serving of chicken and potatoes. Turning the tap off, the blonde sees that the sink is still running. …_need to add that to the list…_ Sitting at the table infront of a full plate, the two woman eagerly dig into the much needed food after a long days work. Callie watches as Arizona gingerly holds the fork in her hand.

"Blisters?" Callie asks knowingly. Arizona looks at the woman and raises her hands, showing off the sore, red skin.

"Yeah… got to build up some calluses I guess." The blonde says, a light breeze in her voice.

"By the end of the season, your hands will be as tough as leather…"Callie holds up her own battered and scared hands. "That's…if you last that long." She gives a challenging glare to the visitor. The two finish their meal in relative silence, still too uncomfortable for even small talk. Standing, Arizona clears the plates as Callie moves to her bedroom. Just as Arizona is finishing with the few dishes, Callie comes back into the kitchen.

"Here you are, just as we agreed…" Callie says, handing the blonde a twenty dollar bill and a clean towel. "Help yourself to some of the soap and shampoo in the shower. And I placed a clean shirt over the towel rack for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Torres." Arizona says, taking the soft towel in her hands and folding the money into her pocket.

"Will I see you tomorrow, or have you already had enough?" Callie asks over her shoulder, heading back to her room.

"Can't get rid of me that easy, ma'am…" Arizona replies, a smile crossing her face. Callie nods and moves into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. The two women take turns in the shower and both head off to their bed, exhausted from a long day's labor. Callie closing her eyes can't help but think she may be well on her way to reaching the greener side of the pasture. Arizona, lying on her back, hands behind her head, drifts off to sleep hoping she will be able to prove herself to the mysterious woman behind the mask.

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><p>AN2: Callie is working her hard, but Arizona seems to be sticking with it. Think it will last?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona seems to be sticking around. But Callie remains closed off, and Arizona unsure if she should remain an employee, or try to become more of a friend to the lonely woman. Let's see what happens next. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

The following Saturday morning, a full week since Arizona walked her drifting butt into the tiny town in Oklahoma and talked her way into a job on Callie's farm, both women have fallen into a sort of a routine. They would get up before the sun, Arizona putting together her supplies and materials she would need for her days work and come into the house, Callie busy working on the two's breakfast. Then they would part ways, Arizona off to tend to the many chores she still has left on the list and Callie takes to prepping and treating her land for seeding. Whichever of the two women who would break first for lunch would make up a small meal and bring it out to the other, that's if Callie wasn't miles out on her empty fields, in which Arizona would eat by herself in the kitchen. Then the blonde and the Latina would get back to the grind until dinner, in which Callie would cook up something more filling and completely delicious.

They still don't talk much, neither really knowing if they should cross any sort of professional line and into a more personal relationship. As Arizona comes into the kitchen for breakfast as usual, she see's Callie making up a list of groceries, a cold bowl of cereal set out for the blonde to eat instead of the usual hot meal. …_talk about a letdown. Only been a week and I'm already spoiled. _

Almost as if Callie reads her mind, she says "Sorry about the lame breakfast… last time I was in town, I wasn't expecting to be feeding two so my groceries are a little low. …That's all we got…"

"It's not problem." Arizona says, pouring some milk onto her stale cheerios. "You going into town today?"

"Yeah, I was going to leave around one or so. Why, would you like to come?" Callie asks, the two of them exchanging more words this morning that they have almost all week.

"If it's alright. There's an auto shop in town, right?" Arizona asks and the Latina nods. "I'd like to give them a list of parts to order for your truck." Callie agrees and the two of them continue on with their regular morning routine, in near silence. Arizona and Callie keep themselves busy with a couple easy chores and at a little before one, they clean the sweat and dirt of their faces and load up in the noisy truck. The ten mile drive passes in silence, and after fifteen minutes they pull up in front of the towns' grocer.

Entering the cool shelter of the store, the red head looks up from her magazine and smiles as she sees her friend. Callie smiles back and gives a small wave, then pulls out her list and grabs a cart.

Taking the list from the Latina's hand, Arizona says "I'll get the groceries, you go chat with your friend." Callie gives her a questioning look. "What? ….You're paying for them, right?" Arizona asks and Callie slowly nods in agreement. "So… the least I could do is collect them." The blonde gives her boss a dimpled grin then looks hard at the list as she moves down the first aisle. Watching the blonde to make sure she was serious, Callie finally turns back to the front of the store and come up behind the checkout counter to talk with her friend.

"So… how's it working out?" Addison asks, leaning in close to her friend so she can whisper, even though no one is within earshot.

"Good. …She's a hard worker. …Eats enough for both of us but… she does good work." Callie says, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Have you talked to her much? ...I mean, she's prolly some trouble maker right? Running for the police." Addison says, glancing at the surveillance mirrors placed strategically around the store, finding the blonde walking down aisle three, looking for the right kind of sandwich bread to get.

"She doesn't talk much… But I asked and she said she wasn't in any sort of trouble." Callie looks over her shoulder as the blonde rounds the corner of an aisle and moves up the next one after she sends Callie and Addison a polite smile. "Though the first morning I thought she stole my truck..." A giggle tickles her lips at the memory of finding the blonde half swallowed by the vehicle, grease all over her hands, arms, body and face, singing along to Prince.

"I hear that." Addison says. "Why would someone just wander into a town like this anyways? What is she running from?"

"How do you know she is running from something?" Callie asks softly, scanning the nearly empty store for her companion.

"She's obviously not in a hurry to get anywhere, having spent a week already in this grungy hick town. Which means she's not so much as heading somewhere…but leaving somewhere." The redhead says, a confident smile crossing her lips at the use of her one semester of college psychology.

As Arizona went about finding her way around the small grocery store, she knew Callie and her friend were talking about her but she didn't care. She had nothing to hide, and besides Callie didn't know that much about her to begin with, so there wouldn't be that much for them to talk about. Finding the last item on the list, and throwing in a couple things of her own, she returns to the front to find Callie and Addison laughing at something one of them said. …_atleast someone makes her happy… _Putting all the items on the counter, Arizona grabs a magazine and thumbs through it as the red head starts to scan the large order.

Callie notices a few items on the counter that weren't on the list, one of them being a box of donuts. She eyes the blonde who is engrossed in the latest issue of US Today and decides to let it slide. _…she's feeling alittle more comfortable I guess… that's good._ Addison reads out the total of their bill and Callie has a small seizure but gladly pays, knowing that the work getting done on her property more than makes up for the increased food bill. Asking Addison if she was meeting Mark and her for their usual meal later tonight, she finds that both are actually busy and won't be able to make it. …_damn. I've been looking forward to it all week too. _As Callie and Arizona load the groceries in the back of the truck, Callie looks at the blonde and thinks …_maybe I'll take her out for dinner instead. Sort of a…peace offering?_

The next stop on the list of errands is the local auto shop. Arizona remembered to grab the list of parts for Callie's truck this morning before heading out and is eager to start the process of rehabbing the tired vehicle. The two women walk into the double stalled auto shop and ring the little bell on the counter. Seconds later, a tall man with creepily perfect hair walks out of the back office.

"Hey there Mrs. O'Malley!" The man says politely, earning a very confused look from Arizona.

"Actually…I've gone back to Torres, Derrick." Callie says sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the blonde. "And its Miss now, not Misses."Derrick Shepard looks between the two women and can see that he has missed something, but continues on.

"Of course, my apologies Ms. Torres." He gives a shallow bow to his more acquaintance than friend. Turning to the unknown blonde, he extends a welcoming hand. "And you are?"

Taking the man's hand in a strong shake, the woman introduces herself. "Arizona Robbins."

"Pleasure, Ms. Robbins. My name is Derrick Shepard and I own Shepards Auto." The man says proudly, dropping the smaller woman's hand.

"Obviously…" Arizona says, dimpled grin adorned to show her levity.

"So what can I do for you two lovely ladies on this fine day?" Derrick asks, his smile beaming at the women in his shop. "You finally going to let me get my hands on that hunk of junk out there?" He points to Callie's truck out the window.

"You're not getting anywhere near my baby. I just need you to order these parts for me." Callie says as Arizona hands over the list. Derrick glances over the paper, his face screwing up in confusion.

"Who uhhh… who you got working on your truck?" Derrick asks, seeing multiple parts that need a good knowledge of auto workings to replace.

"Me." Arizona says confidently. "Ms. Torres is being gracious enough to give me room and board while I help her out around her farm. …Her truck needs some work, but I think with those parts and alittle attention it could be purring like a kitten in no time at all."

"And I can afford her labor fee a lot more readily than yours Derrick…"Callie adds, a playful smile on her lips but a serious tone in her voice.

Moving behind the counter and firing up the old computer, Derrick starts tracking down all the parts the blonde woman wrote down. "Well… you get what you pay for. …And I'm the best." He says, alittle put out that someone else will be getting grease under their nails instead of him, especially in his town.

"Yeah true…but I can't afford the best right now." Callie adds softly, leaning on the counter and looking over the man's shoulder. Soon the parts are ordered and on their way to the tucked away town. Moving out of the shop and back to the truck, the two women finish up their business in town.

As the sun starts to dip, and the last errand is finished, the two pile back into the truck. "You up for a burger and a beer, Arizona?" Callie asks, turning into the small parking lot of Mark's.

"Yes, ma'am." Arizona says with a smile on her face, her stomach rumbling. Exiting the vehicle, both women walk into the dark, smoky bar and take a seat at one of the table tops.

"Ladies… how yall doing tonight?" A waitress asks as they approach.

"Alright, Miranda. How about you?" Callie asks the sometimes scary woman.

"I spend my day's cleaning up after drunks…how do you think it's going?" The short woman replies, setting her face in a stare that could make the devil shake in his boots. "So what'll it be?"

"Burger and a beer?" Callie asks Arizona again, getting a nod in return. Turning back to the waiting woman, she continues "Two of the usual please." Bailey nods and heads to the back to put in their order and brings back two tall glasses filled to the brim with the golden liquid.

"So… Is this a tradition of yours, Ms. Torres?" Arizona asks, remembering a week ago when she saw Callie exit this same bar.

"You know… you can call me Callie." The Latina says, eyeing the blonde. "And yes, I usually meet with Addison and Mark tonight and we all share a very unhealthy meal together." Arizona nods and the two women lapse into an awkward silence.

"So… Callie…" Arizona tests out the new level of their relationship and sees that Callie doesn't flinch at the use of her name, so she continues "You use to be Mrs. O'Malley… and now you are Ms. Torres… what happened?" Callie drops her gaze to the table and starts chewing at her bottom lip. Arizona notices the sign of anxiety and quickly tries to cover. "You know what… never mind, it's none of my business. Just forget I-"

"No… no, it is your business, I guess. …Since it's the reason I need help around the farm and all…" Callie cuts the blonde off. Taking a deep breath, she continues. "I use to be married to George O'Malley but… he uhhh… he died two years ago. …A week after harvest, he got hit by a bus and never…never recovered." A tear escapes her brown eyes. Arizona watches as the strong woman in front of her struggles to keep in her emotions. …_do I comfort her? Do I pretend I don't see her cry? …I don't know this woman well enough yet… _Taking a chance, the blonde places a sympathetic hand on the Latina's arm. The two sit in silence, Arizona letting her boss compose herself after her revelation.

"I'm sorry. …I know I didn't know him but… I know what it feels like to lose someone you love." Arizona says softly.

"Soups up!" Bailey calls, placing a large burger and a pound of golden fries infront of each woman, making Arizona pull her hand from the sullen woman's arm. Both give a grateful smile to the waitress, giving them a change of subject.

"So Arizona… tell me something about yourself, other than you know your way around an American engine and can hammer a nail better than anyone I've seen." Callie says, taking a long pull from her beer, clearing her eyes of the tears that were just falling.

"Ummm… like what?" The blonde asks, unsure of herself when being put on the spot like that.

"Like…" Callie racks her brain, but it keeps coming back to the conversation she had with Addison earlier in the day. "…like what you are running from…"

"I… don't know what you are talking about." Arizona says between a full mouth of juicy cheeseburger.

"I'm just…wondering where home is for you. And more importantly…why you left." Callie says, looking straight into the blondes ice blue eyes.

"Well… I don't really have a home." Arizona says. Seeing the reaction this gets from Callie, she quickly continues "Oh…no, I'm not like homeless or anything. It's just… my Dad was a Marine so we moved around while I was growing up. So… no place ever really became 'home'. But… I started my walk in Boston, so I guess that's the answer you're looking for."

"Boston?" Callie asks, not believing her. Arizona nods, taking another bite of her burger. "That's…like two thousand miles away. …You've, you've walked all that way?"

"No. No, I've hitch hiked some… train, bus… whatever I feel like really. Some days, I just feel like walking." Arizona explains, scaulding her tongue on still very hot French fry.

"But…why?" Callie asks, absentmindedly chewing on the end of her own French fry.

"I… lost someone very important in my life. And…it shook me hard. My world collapsed around me. I just… I couldn't see why I was doing what I was doing when nothing in my life made sense anymore. So… I decided to put my life in a backpack and travel the states. …See my homeland for what it really is. Remind myself of the reason my brother fought and died for his country. I needed to see what he so greatly believed in. Not just pass it by on a plane but get down in the dirt. See the places no one bothers to see. The reasons that make America what it is…" The blonde says, burger long forgotten as memories of her brother flash across the front of her mind.

Callie watches the blonde remember her fallen brother, unsure of what to say or do. …_I guess we're both alittle broken._ Finally, the Latina places a hand on Arizona's arm and says "I'm sorry too…" The two get back to their delicious meal, each greatly enjoying the small luxury of the week. For once, they start to share some comfortable small talk, both feeling like the ice…if not broken, atleast cracked, and their relationship moving past professional into the world of possibly friendly. Miranda brings by the bill and as Callie is reaching for it, Arizona snatches from the table first.

"Don't be ridiculous, Arizona. Let me have it." Callie says.

"No. This is my treat." The blonde says, bill clutched tightly in her hand as she digs around for the money she brought into town today. The rest is placed safely in an old coffee can in her pack back at the farm.

"Arizona…" Callie groans.

"Please. …As a thank you for giving me a chance, Ms. Torres. For… taking in a stranger and letting me prove that I could help you." Arizona explains, not really needing permission because just then Bailey flies by the table, picking up the bill and the twenty dollar bill right out of the blondes hand. "No change…" Arizona calls after the retreating woman, and just gets a wave in return. Callie rolls her eyes and the two of them exit the bar.

Loading back into the truck, and firing up the engine, Callie turns to Arizona and says "Thank you for dinner, Arizona."

Arizona gives the closed off woman her best dimpled smile and replies "My pleasure, Callie."

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><p>AN2: So… they seem to be getting closer, no matter how slowly it may be happening. But both seem to come by trust difficulty. Let me know what you think. I'm sick, and reviews are better than chicken soup!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… if some of this seems little…hazy, my bad. I took like 3 doses of Nyquil last night and I slept amazing, finally. But when my alarm went off for work this morning… yeah. Someone get the name of that truck! So… I'm at my desk, one eye open, one eye closed taking a nap lol. Anyways…enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

One week quickly turns into two and seeding time comes around. Callie shows Arizona the ropes around the farming equipment and supplies. The first few days are bumpy, Callie getting annoyed that Arizona is slowing her down but soon, they move together flawlessly. Two hard weeks of working sun up to sun down and finally all of Callie's land is seeded and fertilized, letting the woman breathe a sigh of relief for the first time since her husband passed away. Last year, she didn't bother trying to plant anything, instead she just let the farm run down as she let the process of grief run its course. But this year, she's hell bent to make it. To make her farm a productive piece of land.

Two weeks turned into a month, and Arizona and Callie grow closer together. There is still a hint of professionalism, Callie paying Arizona at the end of the week now, instead of every day. But they are becoming good friends…on a shallow lever, neither of them really getting into the nitty gritty of them selves but just the outward stuff. The things that people tell each other in passing. …How they like their coffee. Their mutual dislike of sandwiches. That Callie prefers red wine while Arizona likes white.

Arizona has since moved from an empty animal stall to the loft of a barn, where she has made it home. Her cot, now with a fresh pillow instead of a rolled up shirt, and a few personal item. The usual warm Oklahoma nights are perfect for sleeping, though on occasion it has rained and the blonde ends up a little more damp than she would like. …_really need to fix that roof. Or else I'll drown when the big rains come. _

A hard month of labor and Arizona has close to 500 dollars, having spent a day's wage on dinner the few times she and Callie ate at Marks bar and buying a couple new shirts and pants. A month of hard labor and she is only a quarter of the way through her list. She had fixed the fences, patched up the outside of the barn. Dug a new drainage ditch, replaced some of the easy parts on Callie's truck, and righted all the torn screen doors, squeaking hinges and floor boards, busted windows, dripping sinks and shorted sockets in the home.

After a filling breakfast one morning, the two women decided to start working on a more complicated project. The roofs of both the house and the barn needed to be reshingled and they figured that with the two of them working side by side, they would be able to get both done in a week, before they had to go through the fields and fertilize again. Callie had purchased the materials years ago, George having promised to get both roofs fixed up after harvest. But… that never came to be. So, once the dishes were cleaned and both women strapped on their working clothes, Arizona pulling her blue bandana across her forehead, they start the long job.

Callie starts to shed the old shingles as Arizona hauls the new ones over from the barn. Soon, both women are covered in sweat and pounding in the new shingles in silence. Arizona is jamming to her tunes when a particularly epic vocal solo draws her attention from the raised hammer in her right hand. Bringing it down, she misses and instead hits her thumb.

"AH!" She yells out enough for all to hear in a two mile radius. Tears are instantly in her eyes. Callie, who has been deep in her own thoughts, having become use to blocking out the blondes less than perfect singing, immediately looks up and sees a face full of pain. Dropping her own hammer, she sprints over the roof and comes to the woman's aid.

"Sshhhhhiiiii….." Arizona hisses, but sees the Latina and holds her tongue. By now, Callie is next to her.

"Go on… you can say it." Callie says, reaching for the blondes' left hand, finding a very angry looking thumb.

"SHIT! ….FUCK! ….God that hurts." The blonde cries out, tears running like a faucet.

"I bet…" Callie says softly, examining the finger. "I don't think you broke it, but it is bleeding so let's go get you patched up." The two women rise and head to the ladder. Arizona simply jumps off the one story level roof where as Callie uses the ladder. Inside, Arizona sits at the kitchen table while Callie cleans the cut and wraps it up.

"Think that's the first time I've ever seen you miss." Callie says, trying to get the blondes spirit back up.

Arizona gives her a small laugh "Yeah, and its not happening again. Not if this is what happens… Michael Jackson be damned…" She says, tossing her IPod to the table.

"There. All better." Callie examines her work and decides it's a job well done. "Yes?"

"I don't know…" Arizona plays. "Maybe if you kissed it…" She said it completely in jest but Callie rolls her eyes, takes the woman's wounded hand and brings it too her lips. The two lock eyes, something having clicked at that intimate contact, but neither knowing what it is. Shaking her self from the undefined thoughts, Callie pulls them back to the task at hand.

"Lets get back to it, huh?" Breaking the physical contact they just recently got use to exchanging.

"Awesome." Arizona says, following the Latina out, leaving her iPod on the table. The rest of the day goes by quickly, both women working in silence. Both women thinking about what happened in the kitchen. Neither really knowing what to think about it. Both pass it off as just a part of their friendship. Early evening brings cloudy skies. Looking up at the angry looking sky, the blonde knows that those dark clouds mean rain. …_crap._ The next second, a drop lands right between her eyes. The entire roof has been stripped, and the fast pace of the two have lead to three quarters of it being reshingled, but still there is a bare patch exposing wood to the mercy of the water.

"Quick, cover it with plastic!" Arizona yells at her boss. The two quickly cover the bare part of the roof with plastic wrapping, weighing each section down with heavy bricks. Five minutes after the first drop hit Arizona, both women race through the back door and into the kitchen, drenched and muddy.

"Damn rain…" Arizona says, peeling off her bandana and wringing it out in the sink.

"Hey hey…" Callie scolds her. "Rain is a blessing around these parts. So none of that… Rain brings a strong crop..." Walking back to her room, she quickly strips off her soaking clothes and pulls on some warm ones. Coming back out, she see the blonde placing pots under the parts of the roof they had yet to fix, catching the rain that trickles through.

"Go take a shower and get out of those wet clothes. I just finished some wash this morning so there are some clean ones in here for you." Callie says, as she goes about getting ready to fix dinner. A half hour later, both women are sitting down for an early dinner. Neither of them are use to having a few extra hours at the end of the night so they eat slowly. After a long dinner, they clean up and get ready to part ways. Arizona looks out across the empty expanse between the house and the barn. Its still a downpour and Arizona knows that she will be getting wet tonight in that holey barn.

"How about you stay here tonight?" Callie says, reading the woman's mind. "I'll fix the couch up for you."

"You don't have to do that…" Arizona says, not really meaning it. She watches as the Latina pulls out some blankets and a pillow, then makes up the old couch. "Ms. Torres?" She asks, once Callie is finishing her task.

"I've told you… it's Callie. Ms. Torres just makes me feel old. And I'm not that much older than you." The woman replies, not making eye contact.

"Right. …Callie. Umm… I was wondering…" Arizona's foot plays over the threshold between kitchen and living room. Callie gives her a questioning look and the blonde continues. "What…what is in that extra room? …You never have me do anything in there, and the door is always closed." The drifter watches for a reaction and see that it is a touchy subject for her boss. "You know what… never mind. It's none of my business." She says, trying to get out of the awkward situation she landed them in.

"No… no its not." Callie says, sitting on the couch she just made up for the blonde, her eyes glazing over at as memory after memory crosses her eyes. The two sit in tense silence for a minute, then Arizona walks over and sits next to her friend.

"If you want… I can listen. …I know there has to be something going on in that head of yours. You think way too much, you're always so quiet. I know it's because you keep reliving something awful." Arizona says softly, finally finding the brown eyes lock on to hers. "And I… I just wanted to let you know that I can listen. …Whenever you want to talk."

"George and I… we were trying…" Callie says, her eyes still watching the memories in her eyes.

"Trying?" Arizona asks softly, not understanding.

"Yeah…" A tear streaks Callie's cheek, and she turns her head to find those ice blue eyes. "Trying for a baby." Understanding lights the blondes face. "I was… two months pregnant when the accident happened… when George got hit. …The stress of it all and… I lost the baby." More tears streak the Latina's face. Arizona just sits next to the pained woman, listening, like she said she would. "That room is the nursery I dreamed of putting my baby in… And I just… I can't take it down. I can't… not yet…" The strong woman finally breaks down and Arizona wraps her arms around her. Callie cries her heartache out in the embrace of a woman who was a complete stranger a month ago, but now one of her closest friends. Slowly, the two drift off to sleep, still in the others arms. Neither know what's happening, neither knowing what it means. They just know they need something from each other, not knowing yet what it might be.

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><p>AN2: Like I said, still alittle drugged from the Nyquil but… let me know. Progress, yes?<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Getting closer…but still not too close. Lets see if that changes. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

The morning after Callie divulged her deepest secret to her newest friend, they couldn't go back to the relationship they knew. So… they got closer. They went deeper. They learned the hard things about each other. Arizona opened up about her brother's death. How her father climbed into a bottle after hearing of his sons fate. How her mother closed herself to the entire world, becoming distant from all around her, leaving Arizona utterly alone during a time when what she needed most was family and love. Callie told Arizona about how she and George met, and got married in Vegas. No one thought it would work out, and even though there where bumps along the way, they really did care for each other. Arizona learned that farming was never something Callie planned on doing, but it was her husbands land, and she was hell bent on making it work, making it prosper in his memory. Slowly, the two became closer. They became that person that they just migrate to, just because being closer to them is better than being away. Rarely a day went by that they worked on separate projects, choosing instead to work together and filled the once quiet time with endless chatter.

Arizona has noticed a huge change in the way the Latina acts…talks…moves…laughs. How her once tense chuckles have turned into big belly laughs, her once forced smile now genuine. The blonde can't help but hope she has played a hand in helping to heal the poor woman who has been through hell and back in the last few years. Callie has also noticed the lightened mood she seems to be in daily and can't help but think its all because of the amazing friendship with the stranger who walked into town that one day a month ago. Both have nearly forgotten that one moment when the air grew thick around them, where the world stopped turning and it seemed like it was only them in the universe, like a storm was brewing between them. Because surely…they are friends. Only friends. Neither woman ever being with another woman, it is unthinkable that they are anything more. They are friends. That's it.

Days later, the roof of the house finished and sealed tight, another Saturday morning comes rolling around again, Callie shaking the sleep from her mind as she moves around her kitchen, getting the coffee going and breakfast cooking. Not a minute later Arizona wanders in, her own head foggy with sleep. The two move in sync, Arizona grabbing cups just as soon as the coffee maker stops dripping. Callie sliding the sugar bowl down the counter for Arizona to catch it and put in just the right amount to the two women's taste. Arizona walks into the living room and unplugs her iPod from the wall jack she left it in to charge last night. A trip to the bathroom, and then she is back at the table, watching the Latina cook up their hot meal.

As Arizona is digging into her helping of eggs, scrambled with a hint of dill as Callie has noticed the blondes preference for them that way, she looks up to the brown eyes sitting across from her and asks "Going to town today?"

"It's Saturday, isn't it?" Callie asks sarcastically, sending the blonde a wink to let her know she is playing. The two finish breakfast and go about their usual Saturday morning chores before loading up in the now quieter and more fuel efficient rust bucket of a truck that Callie owns. Arizona isn't finished with it yet, but has done enough to make sure it won't die on them during the regular ten mile drive to and from town they make often enough. No more silent trips, both women filling any empty space with chatter or Arizona singing along to the staticy radio she finally fixed. Callie just smiles at the out of tune voice that comes from the smaller blonde.

Pulling into the parking lot of Big Red's, the two women shout out the chorus of Pink's "U + Ur Hand Tonight" in unison, making the older people who sit in their lawn chairs on the side walk all day turn and look. Rolling out of the cab of the truck, they come together in front of the vehicle and laugh, waving to their audience. Placing an arm around the Latina, who wraps an arm around the blonde, the two women take a bow then turn and walk into the cool air conditioned grocery store.

"Did you see-" Callie laughs, pointing over her shoulder, out the glass window.

"Yeah! He was like-" Arizona cuts her off, knowing what the woman is talking about.

"I know, right?" Callie cuts the blonde off, also knowing what the other woman is thinking. This is how they converse now, both knowing what the other is thinking and going to say. "You gonna-"

"Yep, I got it." Arizona says, grabbing a cart and pulling the list out of Callie's back pocket. Callie watches her dance down the first aisle, Arizona knowing that Callie is watching, and laughs at the blondes antics. Shaking her head, Callie walks over to Addison who has watched the entire scene since the second Callie pulled up outside her store.

"Hey Adds." Callie says, taking her regular spot behind the counter.

"Hey miss thang… you see awfully cheerful today." Addison says, leaning against the wall, studying her friend.

"Been a good day so far…" Callie says, subconsciously scanning the store for the blonde. Addison catches her wandering eyes and a small smile spreads across her face.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Callie asks, seeing the stare the redhead is giving her.

Addison levels her gaze at her long time friend and chances a question that has been plaguing her for a week, ever since she has noticed the new level of friendship between the Latina and the blonde. "Callie… Are you speaking the… vagina monologues now?"

"What?" Callie gives her friend a confused look as she peels back a wrapper of a candy bar.

"I'm all for it, ok. I think it's fantastic. Arizona? …I mean she seems great, I really do like her …actually, I do. But… are you?" The red head asks, narrowing her eyes and leaning in an inch closer to the woman in front of her.

"You want to know if Arizona and I are a…a, a couple?" Callie asks, her mind reeling at the absurdity of the idea. "Because I…I've kept her on for so long?" Trying to find an instance that would peek the redhead's interest as anything more than friendly.

"Because you seem like a couple. …A really happy couple." Addison states.

"Um…" Callie holds up a hand to stop the redhead from going any further. A mixture of nerves and disbelief throwing her into a fit of giggles, making her response come out broken and less than convincing. "Ok that's…. that's, that's just… that's insane, is, is, is what it is… I'm, I'm, I-I like penis. …I mean I'm a huge, huge fan of penis." Flipping her hair, she gives a look around to see if anyone has been listening in on this crazy conversation and continues. "Hilarious… you've been living by yourself way to long… way to long…" Arizona finishes up the shopping and comes up to the counter, seeing and obviously agitated Callie and a smirking Addison.

"What's going on, ladies?" The blonde asks the two women. Callie just looks away from her and Addison's grin widens.

"I could ask you the same." The red head says offhandedly, making the blonde screw up her face in confusion. Looking to the Latina for help, but those brown eyes avoid blue ones.

"Just ring me up, Addison." Callie says alittle sharply, something that Arizona catches. The three women stand in silence as the bill grows. Callie pays the total and Arizona helps her carry the bags out to the truck, putting all the cold items in the cooler strapped in the bed of the truck. The two continue on with the rest of the errands, but an obvious chill is now in the air. Arizona notices a very very obvious shift in the way Callie is behaving towards her and around her now. …_what happened? Did Addison piss her off? …Did I do something? _They drive around town, picking up the last few parts to the truck that finally came in.

Finally, after hours of running around, Callie pulls the truck into the parking lot of Mark's place. Arizona has become a regular member of the Saturday night dinner group, both Addison and Mark warming up to the stranger quickly. They sit at their usual table top and soon Addison comes through the doors and takes a seat on the other side of Callie. Mark, knowing when his friends usually show up, soon comes out with four tall glasses of cold beer which is met with an appreciative roar of applause. Twenty minutes later, all four are feeling the calming effects of the alcohol and the party starts.

Callie is telling a story, taking bite of her burger when a smudge of ketchup sticks to the side of her mouth. Arizona, laughing her ass off at the Latinas on going story, grabs her napkin and gently wipes the ketchup off her friends face like its nothing. Callie and Addison lock eyes and the same knowing smirk crosses the redheads face.

"Sorry… Go on…" Arizona says, wanting to hear the punch line to the story, her dimpled grin out in full power. Callie shakes her head, having lost her train of thought. Suddenly, she grabs Mark by the hand and hauls him to the dance floor.

"Let's dance." She says.

"Bout time!" Mark yells, having tried repeatedly to get in the Latina's pants, but never succeeding. Arizona is confused about the suddenness of change in Callie's attitude and watches her friend and Mark head out to the vacant dance floor.

"What was that all about?" Arizona asks, eyes glued to the pair on the floor.

"I don't know…" Addison says slowly, watching the blondes face. One song passes, and then two. Arizona and Addison chat about a range of subjects, every few seconds the blondes eyes drift to the dance floor where Callie is hanging and grinding onto the large man, his hands trailing over the Latina's body. Four songs turn into six. Finally, Arizona has had enough and throws a twenty down on the table.

Callie is playing at the buttons on Marks shirt, leading him on a bit when the Latina turns her gaze to the table, expecting to see Arizona and Addison talking like she has every other time she looked over. But now, it's just Addison at the table. Callie freezes then scans the bar for the blonde but doesn't see her. Leaving a very confused Mark all alone on the dance floor, she walks up to the table.

"Where'd Arizona go?" Callie asks her friend.

"She left." Addison says, throwing back the last of her beer.

"What do you mean she left? …Where she go?"

"I don't know, she just said she was tired and left…" Addison replies.

"What… when did she leave?" Callie asks, eyes scanning the bar again.

"Twenty minutes ago maybe?" The redhead answers. Grabbing her stuff, Callie runs out of the bar and on to the street. Looking up and down the quiet block, she doesn't see the woman. Firing up the engine of her truck, she makes a couple laps around town, but still doesn't see the blonde. …_where is she? _Finally, after a half hour of looking, she is defeated and decides to head back home, hoping Arizona will find her way. About two and a half miles out of town, her headlights fall on a lone figure walking in the same direction Callie is heading. Approaching, Callie slows, then pulls up next to the person.

"What the hell, Arizona? !" She yells through the open passengers side window. The blonde just keeps marching. "Get in the truck."

"No." Arizona says flatly, not looking over to the woman in the vehicle.

"Come on, stop being ridiculous. Get in the truck…" Callie says, the car rolling at its own pace.

"Ridiculous…" Arizona growls to herself, gives a small laugh and shakes her head but keeps marching.

"Arizona!" Callie barks, but still, the blonde won't look at her. "You can't walk the ten miles back to the farm! There could be chainsaw murderers out here or something."

"I'll live." Arizona says coolly.

"I'm not letting you walk home alone." Callie says, putting her foot down.

"And I'm not getting in the truck." Arizona replies just as firmly, still walking straight ahead. They are left at a stalemate. So, for the next seven and a half miles Arizona walks along the shoulder of the road with Callie rolling slowly behind her. Both don't understand what is happening between them but both are hurt, and they don't know why. Finally, three hours after Arizona walked out of the bar, Callie shifts her truck into park after the longest trip home ever. Getting out of the cab, she comes around the side of the car to talk to the blonde but Arizona continues marching straight on into the barn and climbing the ladder to her cot in the loft. Very confused…about everything, Callie walks into her home and lies in bed. Both stare straight up, wondering what the hell just happened.

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><p>AN2: So?... Personally, this was my favorite chapter so far but…I'm kinda invested so... let me know. And as always, I look forward to reading your reviews. Thanks!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Both women are confused. Think they'll talk it out? Lets see… Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Arizona didn't sleep much… well, at all. Tossing and turning all night, she finally decided to get up and sneak into the house. Not wanting to see the woman whose been invading her thoughts, she slips into the kitchen hours before they usually have breakfast and eats a bowl of cold cereal. In and out of the house before its owner even stirs, she is at work well before the sun rises.

Callie wakes from her tiresome night's sleep to the sound of banging and crashing of things out near the vicinity of the barn. Looking out her window, she can see a small figure on top of the aged structure, pulling off the old roof and throwing it to the empty ground below. Walking out into the kitchen, she sees the lone bowl and spoon on the drying rack next to the sink. Neither women know what to do or say to the other. So they do nothing. They say nothing. They go about the day as they did a month ago. Separate. Silent. Arizona spends the first half of the day stripping the old shingles from the roof of the barn. The heat of the sun and humidity of the past rains making it unbearably hot, she sheds her tank top, choosing to work in her boots, jeans, a blue sports bra and her blue bandana. Tool belt slung around her waist. Callie works on the outside of the house, pulling boards and nailing planks. She too feels the heat of the sun and strips to the light tank top under her shirt.

Every now and then, Arizona will look down and see a determined face, a brow and back soaked in sweat, strong arms and hands working with purpose over her template. The dark brown eyes of the land owner occasionally drifts up to the blonde, her body sparkling from the sheen of sweat that covers her torso. Both work hard, trying to push the feelings that both of them have but neither can conceive of. Like if they hammer hard enough, it will shatter those thoughts from their mind. If they sweat enough, it will wash the ache from their bodies.

Both women work past lunch, neither wanting to be the one that breaks first. Arizona starts to think that she may be over reacting. Looking down to the woman below, she watches Callie…. Her friend. …_that's all she is. Then why do I feel like this? _Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, she raises her hammer and starts a new line of shingles. Callie has her own problems, and has been stewing on them all day but is no closer to understanding them. Glancing up to the roof of the barn, she sees Arizona bring down her hammer with precision.

The rumble of a distant truck reaches Arizona's ears first. Stopping her hammer strike mid way, she looks towards the direction of the road. Barreling down the long gravel stretch is a vaguely familiar truck, a trail of dust being kicked up in its wake. Seconds later Callie hears the engine as well and stops her work. Taking a glance towards the blonde, she sees her employee standing at the edge of the roof, looking down on the approaching vehicle, her slick chest and torso heaving as her body attempts to catch its breath after hours of physical exertion. Arizona still gripping her hammer in her right hand, walks to the ladder and steps down to the ground level. Pulling the bottom of her tank top up to her face, Callie wipes the sweat from her face and walks forward to greet the unknown guest. Both workers converge on opposite sides of the drive, the truck pulling up between them.

Stepping out of the drivers side door, the man looks the sweating blonde up and down. "Looking good blondie…" He growls, sending the blonde a wink. Pulling out a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers, he walks around the front of the truck and stands in front of the landowner.

"Mark… what are you doing here?" Callie asks, glancing behind the man and at Arizona. The blonde is staring daggers into the tall man's back.

"Ummm… last night you said I was welcome for dinner tonight." He says, then remembers the two items in his hands and pushes them towards the Latina.

"Right…" Callie says, completely forgetting all the pillow talk she was telling him on the dance floor last night. In the haze of trying to push Addison's assumption from her mind she offered to have Mark over for dinner…and maybe something more.

"I know I'm a bit early but…" He looks the woman up and down, liking the way her wet tank top clings to her womanly curves, then looks over his shoulder and sees the smaller blonde in only her sports bra, the sweat on her stomach accenting the faintest definition of abs. "…thought I'd take in a show first."

Rolling her eyes at the pig of a man, she says "Actually… we forgot to eat lunch. So we could do with an early dinner." Callie turns and heads towards the front door, Mark following behind her. Callie listens for the crunch of a third set of feet but never hears it. Turning back to the truck, she sees the blonde watching them her hand having a death grip on the hammer still clutched in it.

"Arizona… you going to join us?" Callie asks, uttering the first words the two have spoken to each other all day.

"I just lost my appetite." The blonde says, then turns and heads back to the barn and up the ladder. She lied, of course. It had been almost twelve hours since she had something to eat and that was just cold cereal. But she couldn't be in the same room as Callie. And definitely not in the same room as Callie and her date.

Callie couldn't help but take Arizona's comment as a dig but was determined not to let it bother her. Taking Mark inside, she went about making a delicious meal for the two of them. The two enjoyed a great night, both laughing and eating their fill, the sound of Arizona's angry hammer piercing the quiet night air. Popping the cork of the bottle of wine, Callie and Mark moved to the living room. By now its pitch black outside and Arizona wasn't about to test her aim, not after nearly smashing her finger off a week ago. Moving into the loft of the barn, she grabs the bag of beef jerky she bought at Big Reds more than a month ago and takes up vigil outside the loft window that just so happens to look out right at the house and the growing wheat fields behind it. She sees the figures move from the kitchen in further into the middle of the house.

Mark tries all his tricks on his friend, a woman who has resisted his advances up til now, and he is hoping that tonight is finally the night. Callie keeps hammering the wine, hoping that it will dull the images of the woman sitting in the barn at this very second, but nothing works. Soon, Callie throws caution to the wind and jumps the man, straddling Mark across his lap on the couch, hoping her body will take over when her mind can't. Mark allows the assertive woman do what she wants, her tongue invading his mouth as his hands slip from her waist to her hips and ass. Feeling the man's flesh over her body, her mind brings it all to an end.

"I…I can't…" Callie says, pushing the man away from her by the shoulder. "I can't do this…"

"What? …Why?" Mark asks the woman straddling his lap, holding her in place with his strong hands. His arousal is growing just as fast as the member in his jeans. "Seems like we're doing it pretty well right now."

"I…I know but… It's not working. Sorry Mark…" Callie rolls off the man and moves to the far side of the room. Mark is confused but knows he's had too much to drink and can't drive back.

"Ummm… alright… Can I atleast crash on your couch? I'll leave in the morning…" He says, already stretching out.

"Yeah… fine. Whatever." Callie says grudgingly. Her head is spinning. …._he's hot. Like STEAMY hot but…nothing. I got nothing. All I can think about is… that's not right. Why? Why is this happening? _Throwing a pillow and blanket to her friend on the couch, she moves through the house and into her room. Turning off the light, she crawls into bed, alone.

Arizona, having watched the house for the last few hours, chewing her way through the small bag of jerky, sees the lights in the bedroom go off. Marks truck is still parked in the driveway and all Arizona can think is that he is sharing the same bed as her friend. …_my friend. That's all she is. A friend. Why do I even care? _Pulling out the pack of donuts she stashed away for rainy day, she shoves her face with the baked goods, trying to drown out the aching in her heart. Both women lay down that night, wondering what the other is doing to them…and why.

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><p>AN2: So…no talking. Just more hurt feelings and miscommunication.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Mark stayed the night. How does Arizona handle it? Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Another less than restful night and Arizona is up early. Her body is sore from the beating she gave it yesterday, pushing herself to the limit to try and push Callie out of her mind. …_didn't work. _The cool nip in the air and the low morning glow tells Arizona that Callie should be asleep for another half hour or so. Rolling off of her cot, she slips into her boots and grabs a clean pair of clothes. Tiptoeing into the house, she doesn't hear any movement. Sneaking to the hallway, she passes an empty living room, two empty wine glasses resting on the coffee table, and continues down the hallway and opens the door to the bathroom.

"Woah!" Mark yells from inside the bathroom, his body exposed and hand grasping his erect member.

"OH!" Arizona yells, then turns and slams the door behind her, trying to shut out the image of Mark jerking off, hoping that it won't be scarred in her mind for ever. "I'm so…so sorry!" She calls through the closed door. "Ewww…" The blonde says quietly, the skin over her body crawling.

"What the hell?..." A husky, sleep filled voice says from the recently opened bedroom door. Arizona's eyes land on the face of the woman who has been the star in all her dreams lately. Her black hair a mess after tossing and turning all night, just not in the way Arizona assumes she was tossing and turning. Peeking over the shoulder of the Latina, Arizona sees a bed torn to hell and it makes her stomach roll.

"You might want to help him out…" Arizona grumbles, then hauls ass out of the hallway and through the kitchen, grabbing a bagel and shoving it in her mouth along the way, then barrels out the back door, shower forgotten.

"What the hell?..." Callie mumbles again, sleep still fogging her mind. The bathroom door flying open makes her jump. "Mark! …What the hell is going on?" She asks, hoping someone will eventually answer if she asks the question enough. The man looks startled and guilty, like he was caught doing something wrong.

"Morning Cal." He says politely, snapping the button on his pants closed. She follows him to the living room and sees that he had put the pillow away and set the sheets he used on the washer. "So… I had fun last night… I guess. I'll see you Saturday night? Dinner as usual?" He asks as he walks towards the front door. Callie just nods, still very confused about what happened not five minutes ago and follows him out. The pounding of Arizona's hammer punches the morning calm. The brown eyes drift up to the roof and see Arizona already working, hammering with all the strength she has.

Mark walks to his truck, but turns and wraps his friend up in a tight hug. Arizona is down on one knee, hammering a shingle into place. Looking down at the ground, she sees the man wrap his arms around Callie. His broad back is to her but she can see the man's head dip in close to the woman's mouth. Callie feels a kiss against her cheek and smiles at the kindness her long time friend has always shown her.

"Take it easy Cal… and know I'll bang you whenever you want." He says, pulling her tight into his body. A loud clang from atop the barn pulls them apart. Arizona saw their embrace and decided it had lasted a second too long so she forcefully hit one of the metal vents on the roof next to her with her hammer, making the sound of metal on metal echo throughout the farm.

Both look up at the blonde but she is already focused back at the roof below her. Callie smiles and says "Thanks Mark." She watches as her over night guest climbs into his truck and head out. Glancing up to the blonde, she sees Arizona watching her. Their eyes lock for the first time since before that night at the bar, but all too soon the blue eyes drop their gaze and go back to her work.

The hot Oklahoma sun bakes both of the women as they go about their chores. After noon, Callie breaks and heads inside to fix up some lunch. She makes two plates and sits at the table and waits. But no blonde comes through the door. Callie eats her lunch, hoping that Arizona may yet still join her. But a half hour…then an hour passes and still the constant beat of Arizona hammer signals not end in sight. So Callie exits the kitchen, leaving the extra plate of food, and starts work again. An hour later, and the blonde still hasn't let up.

"Enough of this…" Callie growls. Throwing down her own set of tools, she walks over to the barn and climbs the squeaky ladder until she steps up on the roof. Walking up behind the blonde who is pounding on the surface beneath her, Callie picks up a brick then lets it drop. Arizona jumps at the sudden noise and bolts to her feet. Turning, hammer in her right hand, the woman are face to face. Callie crosses her arms over her chest and Arizona shifts her weight on her feet.

Callie tries to form a coherent thought to express her actions but all she can do is ask "Are you mad that I'm dating Mark Sloan?" Arizona laughs at her, rolling her eyes and running a hand over her wet forehead.

Bending back down, she starts hammering again. "I'm not mad that you're dating Sloan. I'm mad at you for not telling me you were dating Sloan." A strike of her hammer emphasizing each word. Standing back up and turning to Callie, she points at the woman. "I'm mad at you." Callie just stares at her, not knowing what to say. "That last thing you ever said about him was how he was the manwhore of the town. …And now you're out on the dance floor, grinding up against him… He's bringing you flowers… and wine!" Shaking her head, she turns her back to her once friend and kneels back down to continue her work. "…Don't get me wrong, you can have him. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole but the least you could have done was warn me before you threw me out on my ass…"

"I haven't thrown you out on anything." Callie finally speaks up. Walking around in front of the woman, she continues. "You were the one who left the bar, the one who is sneaking around the house, the one who won't come down and talk to me… You're the one acting childish…" She waits for the blonde to retaliate, to stand up for herself but it doesn't happen.

"You're right…" Arizona says, bringing down her hammer and driving a nail flush with just one strike. "I'm at fault…" Another hit. "You shouldn't feel guilty…" Another strike. "About screwing…" Another strike. "Mark…" Another strike. "Sloan…" One last powerful hit and the board breaks.

"FUCK!" Arizona yells. Turning the hammer over, she uses the pry bar end to peel the ruined board off the roof and chucks it over the ledge. Turning back to the woman, she can see the same confusion flashing across the Latina's face that is raging through the blondes head. "Look just… go. Please. I'd like to finish this roof before I leave tomorrow." Arizona says softly, kneeling back down and starts to work over the patch again. Callie watches, trying to get words out of her mouth, but no thoughts form…just heartache. Finally, she turns and leaves the roof. The two work the rest of the day. Separate and silent. Arizona slips into the kitchen while Callie takes a shower that night and grabs the sandwich she left out for the blonde. Walking out into the lonely kitchen, she sees the empty plate and a small smile forms across her face knowing that Arizona has at least accepted something from her…if not an explanation. …_I can't even explain it. …But I need to talk to her. She can't leave…not yet, not when harvest is so close. Not when…when I still need her…in more ways than one…_ Setting her mind to the task at hand, Callie slips her feet in the waiting boots at the door and walks toward the barn.

Arizona is in the loft, feeling the cool breeze of the summer night float through the large, airy barn. Looking out the large loft window, she watches the growing wheat stalks dance in the wind. Callie moves up the ladder and steps onto the loft of the first time in years. She sees the cot Arizona sleeps on, the think sleeping bag laid on top of it. Her backpack all packed up at the foot of the cot, the blonde sitting on the floor in front of the large cut out door that opens and looks out to the house and across the growing fields. Arizona knows she is there having seen her approach but lets Callie take her time in making her presences known. Walking up slowly next to the blonde, she takes a seat right next to her friend and watches the wind whip against her crops.

"I'm sorry…" Callie says finally. Arizona just looks straight ahead. "I don't want you to go."

"I had to leave eventually, might as well be now. Don't want to interrupt a budding romance." The blonde says while pulling her knees in close to her chest, trying to put up a wall against the woman who has some how moved her way into the drifters heart.

"I'm not interested in Mark…" Callie replies, turning to look at the blonde, but not finding those blue eyes.

"Could have fooled me." Arizona says, a gust of wind bringing in the sweet smell of rain. As the crack of a thunderclap races across the sky, the blonde locks eyes with the Latina. Both can feel the storm raging within them. Arizona's glance falls to the luscious lips, and Callie sees, her eyes also dropping to the lips of Arizona's. Both wanting so desperately for the other to give them a clue…a sign… anything to let them know that the other is feeling the same. Then, Callie leans in an almost unperceivable amount, but Arizona feels it and follows suit. The two slowly move in close to each other, staring into each others eyes. A foot becomes six inches, then four, then two, finally…not an inch remains between the two sets of lips. A nervous Arizona licks her lips as Callie visibly swallows, her hot breath washing the face of the blondes. Summoning up all her courage, Arizona makes a move but another thunderclap startles the Latina and she jumps away. The connection broken, she stands and moves to the top of the ladder, leaving Arizona sitting on the floor, looking out across the land as rain pelts the ground. Moving slowing through the down pour, Callie can feel Arizona's eyes on her back, but she doesn't turn and look. Stepping inside the house, she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She felt more from that almost kiss than she had when Marks body was raging below her. …_yeah something has definitely changed. _Arizona, having watched the woman who has consumed her mind walk back to her room, lies back in her cot under the newly patched roof. Both know something is coming, and neither of them have the power nor the will to stop it.

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><p>AN2: They were there and then… damn it… Will they ever get it?<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Hey ya'll, got family in town for the holiday so don't be expecting much this weekend. Now… back to the story. Arizona tried but Callie got spooked. Think they will talk it out? …Or run? Enjoy! And as always, reviews equal love. Thanks for all the love!

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Callie eyes flutter open and the morning light streams in through the windows. Two nights of no sleep have made her sleep in longer than usual. The Latina lays still, trying to hear if Arizona is moving around in the house, but the home is silent. She throws her legs off the bed and pulls on some clothes that cover a little more of herself than her tank top and short shorts she wears to sleep in. Moving out into the kitchen, she sees a lone bowl and soup in the drying rack. Her heart starts racing. _…she couldn't have left. …Not without getting the rest of her pay. …Not without saying good bye. _Callie jumps into her boots and runs across the drive and into the barn.

"Arizona?" She calls out softly, not wanting to wake the woman if she is also sleeping in, though the blonde hasn't missed a sunrise since she's been here. "Arizona?" Callie calls out louder as she climbs the ladder to the loft. Stepping onto the second level, she sees the cot empty of a sleeping bag, and no blonde in sight.

"No…" Callie breathes out. Her eyes search for anything…but there is nothing. Then, she sees a rumpled up piece of paper stuck between two old chests. Walking over, she grabs it and goes to sit on the cot. Opening the forgotten paper, she recognizes the hand writing instantly. It's a note, to Callie, but its crossed out, like the author just couldn't get the words out. No matter what she wrote, it wasn't right…it wasn't enough.

**Calliope,  
><strong>**Thank you for giving me the opportunity  
>I've never met a woman like you<br>The way you make me feel  
>I'm lost too<strong>

All of her sentences cut off before the hard part begins and are crossed out, like Arizona was trying to cross it from her own mind. But at the bottom of the page, the only part not crossed out, reads

**I'm sorry.**

"That's it?" Callie asks softly. Her mind is reeling, her heart breaking. She bolts up from the cot and flies down the ladder. Grabbing the keys from the kitchen, she fires up the engine to her truck and tears out of the gravel drive. Hitting the black top, Callie tries to decide which way the blonde would have gone. …_she can't have more than a couple hours on me. Which means…ten miles maybe? I don't even know if she sticks to walking the roads, or if she cuts through land. _Taking a right, away from town, she pushes the truck to its fastest, testing the engine Arizona fixed up a couple weeks ago. Two minutes later, and four miles down Callie sees a figure off in the distance.

"Please be her…" Callie prays.

Arizona hears the revving of an engine that shouldn't be pushed as hard as its being pushed. Turning to look over her shoulder, she sees the same truck she's spent so many hours fixing up during the last month and a half. Callie gains ground quickly and then pulls to the shoulder and slams on the breaks, skidding to a stop. Arizona has to jump the side to avoid getting hit. Shaking the shock of the sudden appearance, she rounds the truck to give the Latina a good talking to. Just as she is approaching, Callie steps out of the cab.

"What the hell-" Arizona yells, but is cut off as Callie shoves the blonde back against the truck.

"What were you thinking…that you would slip out without me knowing? …Without facing me? What are you? A coward?" Callie yells, stepping closer and closer to the woman pressed up against the truck.

"I didn't want to deal with you." Arizona says, shoving the woman back.

"Deal with me?... Deal with me…" Callie says, walking back and forth in the middle of the deserted road. No cars can be seen for miles in any direction. "A month and a half Arizona! We've been working together a month and a half and now…"

"Callie…" Arizona sighs. Running her hand through her hair, she tries to find a way out of this without revealing the real reason why she couldn't say good bye to the woman. …_because I CAN'T say goodbye to her. I think it would kill me._ "Look…it's time for me to move on." Arizona says, trying to look away from the brown eyes she has grown to seek comfort in, but they have her sucked in.

"You promised me… you promised that you would help me make it through this year…" Callie says, drawing on one of the many conversations the two women had during the time in their relationship where they were the closest, yet had not real clue what their true feelings were. When they were friends, and they were happy like that.

"I'm sorry." Arizona says, her eyes falling to the road beneath her. Callie just stares at her, the words the blonde just said echoing in her ears, and the words written in the blondes' handwriting flashing across her eyes.

Callie is the first to move. Walking back to her truck, she opens the door but doesn't enter, not yet. "I… I don't make friends easily, Arizona. …I've been hurt too much. …But, I made friends with you. And I thought…" Words escape her. Just like Arizona and her note, Callie can't seem to collect the right words to convey her message. One last look into the baby blue eyes and then Callie climbs into her truck. Firing up the engine, her tires burn rubber as she turns the beast around and speeds off in the other direction. Arizona watches as the now functioning tail lights fade into the horizon. Tears streak down both women's faces.

Callie spends the day wallowing in pity. Self pity. …_why couldn't I just tell her? Why didn't I just man up? Tell her the truth. So what if people would talk? So what if Addison was right? What if we were…if I was… so what? What does that change? Arizona is a good woman…a good friend… hard working… honest. Well, she was honest. But she broke her biggest promise to me. She promised she would help me but… all she gave me was heartache and pain._

Arizona marches on, trying to put as much distance between her and the reason for her own heartache. _…why did I even walk into that town? Why did I have to test fate and talk to her outside of that bar? …Why? Being with a man…its never felt…right. Being with Calliope? That's to most right I've ever felt. Like it was natural. I didn't have to try when I was around her…I just was. If I go back… no, I can't go back. I tried but she jumped away from me, like I was vile…vermin. Like I was diseased. ..She just wants my cheap labor and then the second her crops comes in, she'd shove me off her land faster than you can say gay._ And then the blonde's boots halt. Her mind races, trying to draw back to three nights ago, when Callie followed her home in the truck. …_She said…what did she say? …Think Arizona, think. _Then the voice of Callie reverberates in Arizona's mind. "**I'm not going to let you walk home alone."** _…Home. _Her iPod is in her ears, like it was when she marched in to that sorry excuse for a town so many weeks ago. Unsure of whether to continue on, or turn back, the blonde just stands there. Looking up towards the heavens, the hot sun beating down on her bandana clad head, feeling the energy of the star soak into her pores. …_I need something. A sign._

Just then, her iPod flips songs and Pinks "U + Ur Hand Tonight", the same song that played on the trucks radio as Callie and Arizona rode in to town the day thinks started going bad. …_you have got to be kidding me. _Look skywards, Arizona rolls her eyes. …_that doesn't count. _Pulling her bag from its place next to her feet, she hauls it over her shoulder and continues on down the vacant highway.

Day turns to night, and Callie is still sitting in the bath. The warm waters now turned cool after hours of soaking, the woman trying to wash the memory of the blonde away, but it hasn't helped. Pulling herself from the watery retreat, she wraps a towel around herself and moves into her bedroom. For some reason, she feels the need to dry her hair, then brush it… then fix it up. She can't explain it, but… she needs to be pretty. If not on the inside, then on the out. Once her hair is all shining and flowing, she goes to her closet. Pushing past the jeans and shirts that she has worn day after day after day, her hands land upon a dress that she hadn't worn in quite a while. A smile crosses the Latinas as she remembers how she once looked in it, how good it made her feel. …_I want to feel that good again. _She slips it over her styled hair and made up face. Standing in front of the mirror, Callie looks herself up and down…and smiles.

Callie decides she's wallowed in her misery enough and figures it's time to get back amongst the living. Already giving up an entires day of work to mourn the loss of her friend…_or whatever she was…_ Callie makes herself some dinner and eats alone for the first time in over a month. As she chews slowly her eyes stay glued to the empty seat across from her. The seat that had quickly become Arizona's. They had shared so many meals together and so many laughs. All those late night talks and cups of coffee…even though they were both exhausted, they stayed a half hour, an hour, two hours later just to talk….to be around eachother. Clearing her half eaten sandwich, Callie pours herself a steaming cup of coffee and sits. She doesn't drink it, but just looks at it. The steam rises up and dances in the cool air just as the night breeze blows across the sea of wheat. …_she's gone._

A knock on the door stirs the Latina from her cooling cup of coffee. What is curious about the knock is not that someone is here on her land, so late at night without her knowing someone was coming…but its that the knocking is on the back door. Standing, she looks out the kitchen door window and see's the last face she thought she would ever see again.

"Arizona…" She breathes out. Throwing open the door Callie stands infront of the woman covered in road dust and sweat. Arizona was about twenty miles out. One step she was going one way, and the next… she did a 180 and back tracked, determine to get back to Callie as soon as possible. She didn't know why…she didn't understand it but she just knew she had to go back. …._if she'll take me back. _She had been standing outside and looking through the lit windows, watching Callie stare at her coffee mug. Callie looks the beaten down and worn out woman up and down, Arizona does the same thing. She notices the way the dress clings to her hips and curves around her chest. She notices the way her hair is done up and the way her light makeup only enhances the beauty of the Latina.

"You look really pretty." Arizona says through trembling lips. The words cut through the walls Callie had been trying so hard to rebuild during the past 14 hours. Before the blonde can think, the Latina grabs Arizona by the face and lays a kiss against her chapped, sunburned lips. Arizona is startled, but only for a second and immediately kisses the woman back with all her might. The kiss isn't tentative, not like the one they almost shared in the barn. This one makes up for all the feelings that were hurt, all the things said and unsaid. Callie pulls the blonde back into the house and she quickly drops her bag to the floor. Without even a seconds thought, Arizona pushes the woman through the kitchen and into the hallway. Bouncing up and down along the halls, each throwing the other into the wall, hands roaming bodies with passion and vigor, Callie pins Arizona to the bedroom door. They break for the first time since the blonde turned up at the door. Their eyes lock. Callie's thumbs ghost over the curves of her cheeks. Arizona's hands slide down from the Latina's back to her hips.

Looking deep into the dark brown eyes of the woman who has been haunting every thought, Arizona tells her "I've never…"

Callie whispers "That's all right…" Opening the door, the two women slip into the bedroom. Callie pushes Arizona back onto the bed and hovers above her. They slowly explore eachothers body, becoming increasingly confident and growing bolder. Hours pass as the two express the feelings that they have been shutting out long enough, making the other rive in pleasure and want at the their touch. Hard hands of leather turning to velvet in a touch, they make love until the sun comes up.

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><p>AN2: Took heartbreak…but they finally made it. Will it last?...<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So…all action last night. Think it's time for a little more conversation? Let's see. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Arizona's eyes flutter open. She's confused about where she is, having woken up in the loft of a barn for the last six weeks. Looking around the foreign room, the sun shines brightly through the windows, its height in the sky signaling past mid day. As she moves, trying to rouse herself, an arm tightens around her. Looking over her shoulder, she sees the sleeping face of Callie, a possessive arm holding Arizona tight around her stomach. Images from last night come flooding in front of the bright blue eyes. The hours the two women spent studying each other's body, staring into each other's eyes, finger tips caressing trembling skin. The way Callie's flesh felt against the blonde's skin. The single tear that streaked the Latina's face as the waves of her first round of pleasure flooded her body.

Callie's own mind is trying to push her in to consciousness, but she fights it. Turning and burying her head further into a pillow, trying to shield the orange glow in front of her closed eyelids, she loses her grasp on the other body in her bed. Arizona takes that moment as a way out, silently rolling out of bed, slipping on her clothes and exiting the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, Arizona pulls her shirt back over her head and runs her hands through her hair. …_jesus…what have I done? …W-what… Oh my god…I should…I should go. I should leave… _The blonde battles with herself. Yes, Callie was a willing participant last night… more than willing but… _what have I done?_ Walking back out to the kitchen, Arizona grabs her pack and exits the home.

Callie finally gives up on the vain attempt to stay asleep and opens her eyes, the bright midday sun scorching her corneas.

"What the…." Callie growls, trying to remember why her entire body is sore and feels wonderfully satisfied. Then the images start coming. The memory of last night as she and Arizona explored each other's body and made the other rive in pleasure.

"Oh…god…." Callie closes her eyes again. She chances a reach out to the right but all she feels is empty bed. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she pulls up the covers on that side and looks under them, like Arizona might be hiding down by the foot of the bed, but she's not there. Callie looks around her room, the room she hasn't shared with anyone since her husband died, and see's a mess of thrown clothes and bed sheets, and only see's her clothes. Rolling out of bed and throwing on some jeans and a shirt, she moves out to the rest of the house.

"Arizona?" She calls out, walking down the hallway and peeking into an empty living room. Moving into the kitchen, she see that the blondes backpack is gone. Her heart races as she thinks Arizona has ran again. Quickly throwing on a pair of boots, she flies out the back door and towards her truck, but its not there.

"What the…" She groans, then she hears clanking coming from the barn. Walking towards the noise, she turns the corner and see's her antique periwinkle truck sticking out of the mouth of the barn. Approaching her aged vehicle, she can see the hood raised and the scratchy, uneven singing voice of the blonde from within the belly of the beast.

"But when my loneliness is through, I'm gonna find another you… You take your sweaters. You take your time. You might have your reasons. But you will never have my rhymes. ….I'm gonna sing my way away from blue. …I'm gonna find another you." Callie leans softly against the side of her truck and listens to Arizona continue to sing along with John Mayer's 'Find Another You', listening to the lyrics of the song and can't help but think that they are surprisingly fitting. Arizona continues "When I was your lover, no one else would do. If I'm forced to find another, I hope she looks like you. Yeah…and she's nicer too. Yeah!" Standing back up, hands and white tank top stained black from grease, the blue eyes lock onto brown ones. Pulling an ear bud from her ear, Arizona turns to the bench and sets down the part and tool grasped in her hands.

"Hey…" Arizona says, not able to find those brown eyes again.

"Hey yourself…" Callie says, walking slowly to the front of the truck.

"I uhh… I thought I might get the last few parts into her today…" Arizona says, turning away from Callie and grabbing the remaining replacement parts that she had yet installed.

"Ok." Callie says awkwardly, bending over the nearly empty front end of the truck. To the side she sees the hundred different parts the blonde took out of the truck in the last hour or so she has been working on the beast. Arizona comes up next to Callie and tries to get to work but the Latina is in the way.

"Excuse me." Arizona says, and Callie steps back to give her room. The two don't know what to do. Do they talk about it? Do they pretend like it didn't happen? Callie leans against the driver's side door and throws her head back, closing her eyes. …_but it did happen. …Now what? Have I lost her forever? …is this her parting gift to me? …She still has to move on. She can't stay here…she won't WANT to stay here. _Arizona looks up from her grip on her tool and sees Callie deep in thought. The blonde has had this same argument with herself the entire time she was tearing apart the truck and is still no closer to having an answer. She was at the end of the long gravel drive before she stopped and turned back. _…I couldn't leave her. Not like that again. Not after…what we just did. _

Setting the tool down, she walks silently to stand in front of Callie leaning back against the truck. She watches the emotions fly across the beautiful face in front of her. …_she really is beautiful. _Callie's eyes flutter open and then lock on to the blue ones inches from her. Neither knows what to say, neither know what could be said. So, Arizona takes a small step forward. Callie raises a hand and glides her thumb over the curve of the blonde's cheek. Blue eyes search brown eyes. Brown eyes bore into blue eyes.

"I…I don't know…" Callie says, a tear forming in her eye.

"Me neither." Arizona replies softly. Callie lets out a ragged breath and then closes the distance between the two. Lips seal to lips. Callie's hands tangle in blonde tresses and Arizona places stained and greasy hands onto the hips of the Latina. Their kiss is passionate and unyielding. Neither knows what is happening between them, and they don't have the will to stop it. Feelings and emotions rage through them as they take turns dominating the mouth of the other. Arizona lets out a moan of pleasure and Callie eagerly swallows it, pulling the smaller woman into her hard. Arizona pushes Callie back into the truck, grateful it's there to give the two women some support. When their lungs burn for air, their lips part. Both are breathing hard, trying to replace the precious oxygen they had been depriving their body in exchange for the touch of the others lips against theirs.

Arizona looks at the face of the Latina in front of her and see's black smudges marring her perfect skin. She tries to keep her face set but the fit of giggles is too strong to keep in. Dimples pop as blue eyes sparkle in laughter. Callie gives the blonde a questioning look. Arizona brings up her stained hands and traces lines over the woman's face, all the while giggling. Realization lights the brown eyes and strong hands grasps the greasy woman's wrists and pull them away from their face.

"Arizona!" Callie squeals, pushing the dirty limbs away from her, and the blonde just laughs at her. "Oh, you think that's funny?" She asks and gets an even louder laugh in reply. Callie spins the woman and pushes her back against the truck, making a loud bang echo around the barn. Coating a hand in grease from a part within arm's reach, Callie places the hand on the blonde's cheek and runs it down her neck and over her clothed chest. Arizona's breath hitches as Callie's strong hand ghosts down her body. Eyes lock again and suddenly the mood is back to serious. Arizona's hands reach up to the already dirtied face in front of her and pulls Callie down for another kiss. Her insides respond in a way that it has never responded before. …_yeah. I think I'm gay. _The two part again, resting greasy and dirtied foreheads against the others.

"What do we do now?" Callie asks, her heart racing, her mind reeling. She's scared at what this means. …_does this mean I'm gay? Does that mean I'm wrong? …I'm a sinner? I'm going to hell? …How can it be 'wrong' when it feels so right?_

"Well… now… I try to remember how to put all those pieces back in your truck." Arizona says which makes Callie laugh. "No… I'm serious… I think I may have pushed my knowledge a little too far…" Callie's eyes flash seriousness but a dimpled grin from the blonde immediately soothes her mind.

"Can I help?" Callie asks, not really wanting to leave the blondes side right now.

"Sure… come on…" Arizona and Callie spend the next few hours bend over the front of the truck. The blonde teaches Callie the workings of the old engine and the two constantly tease and touch and tickle each other. They don't mention anything about last night and their actions into early this morning, but it's all the each of them can think about. It was the first time either of them were with a woman and it felt so right, but flies in the face of everything they had been thought. Callie, growing up with a super catholic family, was told homosexuality was a sin against God, an unforgivable sin. Arizona, growing up in an military family, having been instilled with the core military values, has always known homosexuality as a bad thing. Gays were constantly tossed from the service because it was 'wrong', 'unnatural', and 'not within the Code of Military Conduct'. But…they felt right together. And that can't be wrong, can it?

Hours later, Arizona installs the part back into the truck. Tossing the keys to a waiting Callie, Arizona tells her to fire up the engine. A minute later, the truck purrs like a kitten, running better than it did when it was brand new. Slamming the hood down, Arizona wipes her hands off on a rag as she looks at Callie. Her eyes skim the Latina's curves as she leans over and reaches into the bed of the truck. Arizona's eyes land on the perfectly shaped ass that makes her insides ache. Callie catches Arizona's eyes and the blonde drops her gaze, a blush forming across her tanned skin. A sly smirk crosses the Latina's face but she doesn't comment about catching the drifter checking her out.

The sun starts to dip just as Arizona and Callie walk out of the barn. Arizona heads in to the bathroom to clean up while Callie washes off the grease from her hands and goes about making them an early dinner. Coming out of shower, feeling fresh and clean for the first time in days, she walks into the kitchen and watches Callie dance behind the stove, moving her body to the tune in her head. Leaning against the door jam, a smile crosses the blondes face as she takes in a little show before the meal. Sticking the baking pan into the oven, Callie turns and sees a squeaky clean Arizona. A smile crosses the Latina's face which gets reflected on the drifters face.

"Umm… I'm gonna go take a shower…" Callie says, her face and arms still dirtied by sweat and grease. "Could you flip the pork chops in about 15?" Arizona nods and steps sideways for Callie to pass into the hallway. As she passes, the two women lock eyes as they are inches away from each other. A shy smile each and they move away from each other, Arizona into the kitchen and Callie into the bathroom.

An hour later, each remaining nearly silent during dinner, they move into the living room. Sitting on opposite sides of the couch, they stare at the cups of coffee in their hands.

"I think I'm going to turn in…" Arizona says, rising from the couch suddenly.

"Oh… ok." Callie says, also standing and following the blonde into the kitchen. Placing both cups in the sink, Callie leans back against the counter and looks at the woman. Arizona is standing at the midpoint between the back door and the entrance to the hallway and back towards the bedroom. Both know what they want to happen, but neither know how to say it. Arizona doesn't want to ask…nor push Callie. And Callie is afraid that she will spook Arizona again, make the woman take off if she moves too fast.

Turning to the back door, Arizona looks over her shoulder and says "Good night, Calliope."

"Good night, Arizona." Callie replies softly. With that, the blonde slips out of the house and heads back towards the barn that has become her own, personal, apartment. Arizona climbs the ladder to the loft above and lies back on her sleeping back that rests atop the old cot, her mind racing with images of the woman across the drive way. Defeated, Callie moves to her bedroom and climbs into the empty bed. Curling around the sheets that still smell of sex and Arizona, she takes a deep breath and feels the essence of the blonde soak into every cell of her body. Both women ache to be in the others arms.

Hours later, and both women are lying awake in their beds. Finally, Arizona has had enough. Swinging her legs off the cot, she climbs down the ladder and walks across the gravel drive and slips into the house. Moving quietly through the house, she grabs the bedroom door handle and pushes it open. Stepping into the dark room, she halts at the doorway. Callie heard the kitchen door open and the sound of boots move down the hallway. When the bedroom door opened, her heart started racing. Turning over, she sees the blonde standing in the doorway, looking at her…needing permission to continue. Callie pulls back the covers of the bed, never breaking eye contact with Arizona. That's all the woman needs. Peeling off her jeans and shirt, she moves to the side of the bed closest to the door and slides underneath the covers. The two women lie on their sides, facing each other, but saying nothing. Soon, both drift off to sleep, only their hands touching.

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><p>AN2: So? …Think they will ever talk? Or will they just flounder along next to each other?<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: I know, I know. I missed a day. Sorry yall. Just had a huge writer's block on this chapter and even now I'm not 100% satisfied but…

AN2: Shameless plug time… I created a forum for my CG series. Please visit if you are a fan of Cowgirl Arizona… Thanks! Add this - /myforums/bowlingstar11/3248104/ to the end of the fanfiction web address and hopefully you will get there.

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Callie is the first one to stir the following morning. Looking to the side of the bed her husband once occupied, the side of the bed she hasn't let anyone sleep before until Arizona shared her bed. The blonde is still deep asleep and Callie reaches out to the woman, lightly tracing the curve of her cheek and down the gentle slope of her nose. Arizona screws up her nose as the Latina tickles her skin but it's not enough to rouse her. Callie lets out a small laugh and just watches as the rising sun illuminates more and more of the blonde's natural beauty, her long blonde hair glowing and being hi-lited by morning rays.

The Latina is in awe of how this woman came to her, a complete stranger, and now seems to have wiggled her way through the cracks of Callie's carefully built walls surrounding her heart and mind. No one has ever made the woman feel this way before. Arizona is the perfect combination of strength and tenderness. The woman would be more than happy to spend all morning in bed just staring at the blonde, but soon her bladder has other plans. Rolling out of the bed, she moves quietly out of the room and to the bathroom. Though the floorboards are about a hundred times quieter than from before Arizona's handiwork, they are still old and squeak as the landowner walks. The noise rouses the blonde and finds the other side of the bed empty. She swings her legs off the bed and stretches, a groan escaping her mouth as her tired muscles protest the movement after hours of sleep. She grabs her pants and pulls them up, her bare feet moving across the smooth surface of the wood and towards the kitchen. She's surprised when she doesn't see the other body already there but goes about getting a pot of coffee brewing.

As the precious dark liquid drips into the clear carafe, Arizona thinks about the woman who slept next to her last night. She doesn't know what all this means, if it means they are together or if it's just a…. a thing but she knows it feels right. The blonde only hopes that this isn't scaring the Latina any more than it is scaring herself. Both are in uncharted territory and need something or someone to cling on to, least they sink to the bottom of the raging waters.

"Hey…" Callie's voice brings the blue eyes from the deep brown color of the coffee to the deep brown color of the Latina's eyes.

"Morning." Arizona says, her voice thick with sleep.

"Good morning." Callie replies with a small smile tickling at her lips. "Did you ummm… did you sleep well?" She asks, moving into the kitchen and grabbing two coffee cups from the cupboard.

"Yeah, I did." Arizona says, her eyes never leaving the still sleepy face of Callie. "You?

"Yes, thank you." Callie replies. They then turn their stares to the dripping coffee and the next minute pour out two piping hot cups, adding sugar to taste. Arizona sits at the breakfast table as she blows on the hot liquid, her eyes locked on to the brown ones still at the counter.

"So…" Arizona starts, shifting in her seat.

"Yeah… we should probably talk, right?" Callie says, taking her own seat at the table.

"Yeah." Arizona nods stiffly, her eyes dropping to the caffeinated liquid in front of her. They sit in silence for a couple minutes, neither knowing how to start the conversation, but both needing to know what the other is thinking.

As Callie is taking a sip of the scalding coffee, Arizona blurts out "We had sex." Callie's coffee makes it half way down her throat before she spits it back up again. Blue eyes grow wide in concern as the Latina fights not to drown on her morning drink, but finally she is able to get some words out, her eyes tearing from the traumatic event.

"Umm… yes. Yes we did. And-"

"And it was amazing. The best sex I've ever had." Arizona continues, not able to hold in the word vomit. "And I…I-I-I like you. Like…like, like you like more than a friend like you." Blue eyes search brown ones as Arizona suppresses the fear that is quickly growing inside her from the lack of reaction from Callie. "I know that this is…. umm… different than what you have known… me too for that matter. Though… it's always been in the back of my head that I might be…well, you know. Because its never felt right with a uhh… yeah… But…I've never acted on it. And now that I have… I know for sure that I am. I am. And uhhh… I-I-I…."

"Take a breath sweetie…" Callie says, placing a hand on top of the blondes from across the table, a small smile crossing her face. Arizona's eyes find Callie's and she lets out a soft laugh.

"I just… I need to know what you think… what you are feeling. Because if this isn't what you want, if you are uncomfortable with our new… relationship, I will leave." Arizona says, her eyes pleading for answers.

"I don't want you to leave. …I'm not saying that I'm not… confused…scared… I am. Totally. But… I know that I want you here with me. I don't know… what this is but, I know I haven't been this happy and content in a very very long time." Callie replies. Arizona's hopes fall a little at the Latina's uncertainty but she keeps her dimpled smile on her face. "And as for the sex… it was amazing." They both blush and drop their gazes. Callie stands and moves to the fridge to start getting things out to make some breakfast, when Arizona stands as well. The blonde walks up to the other woman who is head first in the ice box. Callie turns and finds her guest inches from her, and the Latina's heart starts to race. Arizona's hands start at the top of Callie's strong shoulders and then move down to her hands, taking the eggs and bacon from them and setting the items on the counter next to her for safe keeping. Their eyes never look away from the others. When both hands are free, Arizona brings hers up and cups the cheeks of Callie. Callie places hers on the slim hips of the woman in front of her. The blonde licks her lips in anticipation and Callie mirrors the action. They lean in at the same time and instantly the six inch gap between them becomes zero. Their lips seal against each others, Arizona pulling Callie harder against her lips. Callie pulling Arizona harder against her hips. One of them makes the next move and traces a lip with their tongue, asking permission for entrance. Lips part and the kiss deepens, each taking a turn exploring the others mouth. Moans of pleasure erupt from deep within each of them, their bodies arching into the touch of the others, seeking more contact and friction.

"Jesus…" Arizona gasps as they part of air. "I don't know what it is about you, but you drive me crazy." She says, looking into the eyes in front of her. Callie's face breaks into a huge smile and a throaty chuckle makes her whole body shake.

"If I let you go, you're not going to try to run again, are you?" Callie asks as she places another kiss on the blondes lips. The blonde smiles and shakes her head. "Good… cuz I'm hungry and need food." Another kiss, she loses her grip on Arizona's belt loops of her jeans and moves to the stove. Arizona refills both their coffee cups then takes a seat at the breakfast table like she did every morning during the month and a half they spent just working together, when things where comfortable. While Callie cooks, Arizona watches as the woman dances around her kitchen, shaking and moving her hips to the melody she is humming.

"Calliope…" Arizona says softly, her mind keeping on landing back at a question that has been nagging her for days. The Latina turns, a smile on her face. When she sees the sullen look on the blondes face, hers immediately falls as well. "Did you… did you and Mark…. Umm…" Arizona looks down at the coffee in her hands, not really wanting to know the answer…but at the same time needing to know.

"No… we didn't." Callie says, blue eyes immediately snapping up to the brown ones. "I mean… he was all for it but I just… it wasn't working for me. Not when you were across the drive. …When you were haunting every corner of my mind."

"But you… you…" Arizona says, not able to get the words out.

"Yeah, I tried. …I was umm… I was scared. That night at the bar, I was trying to… I don't know, prove to myself that we weren't umm…" Callie's face is scrunched up in confusion as she tries to think back as to why she did what she did.

"Addison said something… didn't she?" Arizona says, remembering how quickly Callie's attitude towards her changed after their shopping at Big Reds.

"Yeah. She did. …And I guess I tried to prove that she was wrong but… she wasn't." Callie leans back against the counter, the two of the women just staring at each other. "When we go back into town a couple days from now… I just… I'd like to keep this…" Callie motions between the two women "…under wraps. …at least for a while. Until we know what it is. I mean, Addison will be able to tell right off the bat but she can keep a lid on it… hopefully. But… It's just… its Oklahoma… and a small town and people are pretty umm… conservative around here."

"Yeah. Yeah… no, you're right. No reason to rock the boat yet, right?" Arizona says, a small smile on her face. "But… you and Mark aren't like… uhh…"

"There is nothing between us. I was… grasping at straws when I went after him. Really, there is no… heat… there." Callie says, walking up to the blonde and kneeling in front of her chair.

"No heat huh?" Arizona asks, a sly smile crossing her face as Callie kneels between her legs and looks up at her.

"No heat." Callie says, a smile crossing her own face as she leans in closer to the blonde's lips.

"And uhhh… us?" Arizona breathes out, her breathing and heart rate increasing exponentially as Callie gets closer and closer to her.

"Fire." The Latina says softly and then traps Arizona's lips in a searing kiss. Callie's tongue takes command of the blondes mouth as Arizona's strong hands pull at her back and move around to cup the Latina's breasts. Both women's centers react at the touch, fire igniting in each of them. Arizona pushes the Latina back onto the floor and climbs on top of her. Callie readily pulls the blonde down, a knee being pushed against her jean clad core.

"Yes…" Callie groans out as Arizona's lips move to the caramel colored neck. "Jesus… Fire…" She gasps as Arizona nips at her pulse point.

"Speaking of fire…" Arizona mumbles against the sweetest flesh she has ever tasted "…I think your bacon is burning." It takes a second for the blonde's works to sink into Callie's hazy mind but they finally do and the Latina sniffs the air.

"Shit!" She cries as Arizona laughs at her. Rolling off the woman, Arizona helps Callie up and retakes her seat at the breakfast table as Callie tries to salvage their breakfast. Ten minutes later, both dig into their eggs and extra crispy bacon. As they clear the table and wash the dishes, they work in silence, going back to their old routine, knowing the other's next move without even needing to think about it. Arizona heads out to the barn to get a new shirt and soon both women are ready for a long days labor.

"Where to today, ma'am?" Arizona asks in a dramatized southern draw and sending Callie a wink.

"We need to go through and fertilize the fields again. So… you start from the south and I'll head down from the north?" Callie asks, looking for confirmation. Arizona is surprised that it comes across as a question rather than an order, like they have always been in the past. A polite order… but an order none the less.

"What ever you say, boss lady." Arizona replies, not wanting to tell the woman how to manage her own land.

"Alright then. You remember how to work that piece of crap?" Callie asks as Arizona climbs on top of one of the two tractors that the large land demands.

"Yep, gotta punch the clutch and show her no mercy." Arizona says, firing up the very old engine and checking the liquid fertilizer that she will be spraying behind her.

"You got it." Callie says, a smile on her face. "So… I'll see you in like… 5 hours then." Knowing exactly how long it takes to work her entire land with two people at it at once.

"Yes, ma'am." Arizona says as she ties her bandana over her head to give her exposed head some protection from the hot Oklahoma sun. Turning back to Callie, she sees the uncertainty in the woman's eyes. Quickly, the blonde grabs the Latina by the hips and pulls her close, laying a dizzying kiss on the woman's lips. "See you then." Arizona winks one of her blue eyes and then scales the tractor. Punching the clutch, the slow tractor kicks to life and is off to work. Callie watches as the woman inches away from her and towards the south end of her land. As she walks over to her own waiting tractor, she smiles as she thinks about what may come after these next five hours.

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><p>AN3: So, they talked and are now back to work as the team they once were. All is good…yes? Let me know. Thanks for the reviews in advance. You guys are awesome! Much love!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Alright peeps, first and could be last update of the day… for this story atleast. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

"Son of a…." Arizona growls as she pulls out another pinched finger from the old engine. Five hours have turned into eight. Not even half way through the blondes half of the fields, the rickety tractor died and she has been working on it ever since. Luckily, Callie keeps a toolbox under the seats of her rusty pieces of junk just in case.

"I swear I don't get paid enough for this…SHIT!" She pulls her hand out of the greasy engine yet again.

"Arizona!" Callie yells out, as she moves through the fields on her own slow tractor. "Arizona? !"

"Cal! …Over here!" The blonde yells out. She can hear the shifting of the tractor as it pulls down one of the rows of wheat. Usually it wouldn't be a problem to find a stuck field worker but the wheat stalks are tall and the blonde's hair blends in well with the golden wheat dancing in the wind. Looking up from the tractors engine, she sees the Latina pull her own tractor up behind the busted one and hop down off her raised seat. Callie's brow is slick with sweat and the hot Oklahoma sun has tinted her skin a shade darker. As Arizona watches the woman move towards her, her heart starts to race, her mouth runs dry.

"Good lord…" She groans, her eyes locked on the swaying of the Latina's hips and the rise and fall of her breasts as she walks. "…yep. I'm gay." She mumbles to herself then shoots the woman a dimpled grin. The blonde herself is slick with sweat, her thin tank top long ago shed and is now in just her jeans, sports bra, and blue bandana. The sight of Arizona's slim, toned midsection glistening in the suns rays make Callie herself send up a thanks to God for making a woman as beautiful as the one in front of her eyes.

"Jesus… what have you been doing to my tractor?" Callie asks as she approaches the blonde and sees her hands coated in grease and dirt.

"Doing? …You should ask this hunk of junk that. I don't think I have any fingers left." Arizona holds up her battered fingers and there is a thin streak of blood that runs down the blondes forearm.

"Ouch… are you alright?" Callie asks, her voice full of genuine concern.

"I'm fine…" Arizona says, working away at the engine in front of her. Another slip of her hand in the cramped space and another cut in her fingers. "Ahh Fuck!" She cries out, tearing her hands out of the aged tractors front compartment. Blue eyes find surprised brown ones. "Sorry… I uhhh… sorry…" Callie gives her a confused look as she nudges the blonde out of the way and looks at the engine herself.

"Damn it…" The Latina growls. Then she looks at the blonde who is trying to wipe her hands off on her discarded tank top. "I thought you knew how to fix engines?"

"So did I…" Arizona growls back. Callie laughs and turns back to the bucket of bolts.

"Well… fuck. …Come on." Callie says, and Arizona follows. The Latina tosses the blonde a sandwich that she wrapped up for her before Callie came looking for her. Arizona climbs on the back of the working tractor and the two of them finish up the unfertilized land, taking another three hours but they are ok with that, because they have each other to talk to. When the last acre of land is finished, they move back to the busted tractor and tie it to the back of the working one. The trip back to the barn is long and slow, but eventually, just as the sun is dipping below the Oklahoma horizon, the women get the two tractors tucked back in.

"I'll have to call Derrick and see if he can come out this way…" Callie says through ragged breath. Arizona leans back against the busted tractor and tries to level her own breathing. She has been working since they started this morning and is physically exhausted, and pushing a thousand pound tractor was the icing on the cake. Callie walks up to Arizona looks down at the sweaty, grease and dirt covered face and smiles.

"Come on." Callie says softly. She takes Arizona's still gloved hand in her own and pulls her towards the house. Once in the kitchen, they each down a large bottle of water in seconds and just rest in the cool sanctuary.

"I uhh… I think I'm going to take a shower. …I feel pretty nasty." The blonde says, looking down at her dark hands and stained stomach. Callie also glances down the svelte body of her guest and likes what she sees. Arizona catches the Latina's look but doesn't say anything about it.

"Alright. …I'll see what I can find for dinner." Callie says, as Arizona moves down the hallway. A quick phone call into town and Callie has set up an appointment for the town's mechanic to come out and look at her tractor, then she decides dinner can wait. Moving down the hallway herself, she strips off her own dirtied clothes. At the bathroom door, she pauses, unsure if she's about to make a mistake. But when she hears the voice of Arizona singing in the shower, she grabs the handle and opens the door. Stripping off her last layer of clothes, she takes a deep breath and then pulls the curtain aside. Arizona jumps at the suddenness of the woman's appearance.

"Mind if I join you?" Callie asks in a husky voice. Arizona's eyes rake up and down the naked body in front of her and smiles. She steps aside and Callie joins her. As the warm water washes over both naked bodies, the women's eye stay locked on each others. Callie leans in and makes the first contact, locking lips with the shorter blonde. The slickness of the water allows their bodies to slide against one another and hands start to roam freely. Lips move from lips to necks and collarbones, shoulders, and down to breasts. Each take their turn on the others body as the days' sweat and stress washes off them. As Arizona's lips move back to the Latina's, she takes one of Callie's hands in hers and raises it above the taller woman. The blondes' right hand starts to snake down the Latina's body until it finds her folds. Callie pulls Arizona's lips harder against hers as the blondes strong hands work at her center.

"Wow… mmm…. You sure you're new to this?" Callie gasps as she feels the warmth spread over her body. Arizona chuckles as she moves to the Latina's neck, nipping and sucking at the pulse point that is pounding because her heart is racing. Deft fingers move against Callie's arousal and soon, her body tenses as wave after wave of pleasure washes over her. Strong arms wrap around the smaller woman's body, seeking support during her release and Arizona smiles, knowing she is the one making this woman quake in pleasure. When the water runs cold, both women detach from each other and step out. Quickly changing into a clean set of clothes they return to the kitchen. Arizona takes her place at the table as Callie moves through the kitchen. The blonde's eyes stay glued to the woman in front of her, a smile playing across her lips.

Turning and catching the blue gaze, Callie smiles as well. "What are you looking at?" She says playfully.

"Nothing…" Arizona replies, her eyes never leaving that of Callie. As they eat their long overdue dinner, they talk. And not just the normal small talk, but they get down in the dirt.

"So…Ms. Robbins, how did you learn to fix…most… engines?" Callie asks with a smile on her face. Arizona, takes a big bite of fried chicken and laughs.

"Umm… well. I told you that my Dad was a Marine…" Callie nods, remembering that coming up during one of their other talks weeks ago. "…He was a Marine Cargo Mechanic." Arizona says simply which gets a confused look from her dinner mate. "Basically… he was a Mechanic for all the ships and boats the Marines posses. …Which is why we moved so much. There was so few skilled Mechanics that he was needed everywhere. And he would always be roped in to teach others, which is how I learned. Sit in on enough lectures, even when you are… 13 years old… and you will learn the material." Arizona continues then takes another bite of her chicken.

"13 huh? Wow. …Nerd?" Callie asks sarcastically and they both laugh. Finishing up dinner, they clean up and then Callie pours out two glasses of wine, something she hasn't done 'just because' in a long time. Handing a glass to the blonde, they move into the living room and take a seat on the couch. The exhausted women just sit for a while, feeling the calming effect of the alcohol wash over them. Arizona throws her head back and turns to look at Callie, who is watching her.

"What about you… how did you get here?" Arizona asks, her voice soft.

"What do you mean?" Callie asks in response as she drains her glass.

"Well… you don't seem like the farming type." Arizona replies, downing the last of her own alcoholic beverage.

"I married into it…" Callie answers softly. Arizona nods and then waits for the woman to continue. "We uhhh… we met when he was in Miami for spring break. ...We spent all of two weeks together before I uhhh..." She laughs and shakes her head, thinking about her younger days. "…before I left home and followed him back here. …It was his Dad's farm. Then he died and George took it over."

"How long were you two married?" Arizona asks.

"Uhhh…just over three years. We had known each other for… like three years and four months." Callie says as she plays with the blanket over the back of the couch.

"You got married after four months?" Arizona asks disbelievingly. Callie nods. "Wow… that's… wow." The Latina gives her a questioning look. "No… I just. You seem like such a uhhh… what's the word… someone not THAT spontaneous. You seem like a woman who thinks about things first before acting."

"Yeah well… he was my McDreamy…" Callie says despondently. Arizona screws up her face in confusion, not really getting the reference but figures out what it means essentially.

"I think it's romantic." Arizona says quietly as she places a hand on the woman's thigh.

"What about you… ever come close to-"

"No." Arizona cuts her off. "No, I… I never had that sort of connection with a man. I mean… I've been with them of course but… as you said this morning. …No heat." The blonde sends the woman a dimpled grin. "I mean… I was more passionate about my Cindy Crawford poster when I was growing up than any of the guys I dated." This makes both women laugh, a mixture of exhaustion and the slight buzz of wine making the laughter draw on and on. By the time both women catch their breaths, they have migrated together and their lips are inches apart. The light mood turns serious as blue eyes lock on to brown ones. Arizona shivers as she feels the hot breath of the Latina wash over her face. Callie's mouth goes dry as her eyes glance down at the chapped and sunburned lips of the blonde. Then next second, Callie's lips are locked on Arizona, her body covering the smaller woman's as she pushes her back onto the couch. Hands roam bodies freely, their hesitation long gone, especially after their shower session earlier. Before they know it, both are free of their shirts and topless. Their breasts resting against each others makes both women moan.

"Wanna go to bed?" Callie asks when she comes up for air, already starting to stand.

"Like you wouldn't believe…" Arizona growls and then grabs Callie by the hand and drags her down the hallway. At the threshold of the bedroom, they pause and share another passionate kiss, going from frenzied fire to a slow rolling heat. Blue eyes search the Latina's soul, trying to find the woman that was long ago lost, and smiles as Callie brings forth the desire she has forgotten after years of mourning. Crossing the threshold, both women know they are in for another historical night of love making.

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><p>AN2: You know what to do… so do it. …Things are going well. Hopefully things will last…. Hopefully.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Sorry, I know. Another WHOLE day between updates. Sorry but I actually do work now and then. …especially now. But here you go. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

Two weeks later and both women were unnaturally happy with the way things were going. They were essentially living as a couple. They would wake up together, eat together, work their asses off sun up to sun down, then have dinner and go to bed together. Occasionally they would have long, heart filled talks…but that was only as breaks between their passionate love making. Arizona studied Callie's body like it was her own, personal bible. Callie treated Arizona's body and mind like she was a temple, and worshipped it. Their tongues, lips and fingers went everywhere, touched every inch of each others skin. Brought each other to an unknown amount of orgasms.

Their trips into town, they were extra careful. Only Addison could see the extra space the two put between them, and the redhead could read between the lines. There was definitely something going on, but she didn't care because Callie was actually happy. Like, glowing, huge smile on her face, actually happy. And that's all anyone ever wants for a best friend, for them to be happy. Luckily, Mark had been called out of town for the two weeks, a sick mother, which allowed both women to breathe a sigh of relief from having to deal with the handsy and horny man.

The blonde is first to stir one Friday morning. She feels the weight of a strong arm across her naked torso and smiles. The feeling of Callie's flesh against hers is the most natural thing she has ever experienced.

"Beautiful…" Arizona whispers as she studies the face of the sleeping woman next to her.

"Thank you." Callie says, a smile spreading across her face. Her eyes flutter open and chuckles when she sees the surprised look in the blue orbs right in front of her. "I've been up for a couple minutes."

"Oh really?" Arizona growls as she moves closer to the naked woman.

"Mmhmm…" Callie smiles and opens her arms for the blonde to move into them.

"Watching me sleep, Ms Torres? …That's kind of creepy." The blonde plays as she snuggles into the crook of the Latina's shoulder.

"It's kinda creepy how cute you are. …I can't help it." Callie says, closing her eyes and wrapping the blonde up in her arms.

"Cute? !" Arizona exclaims, sitting up a bit so she can look down at the brunettes face. "I'm not cute. I am HOT." She says with a serious look in her face which makes Callie laugh. The Latina can't argue with that, the blonde is definitely the hottest woman she's ever seen.

"So what's on the agenda for today boss lady?" Arizona moans, closing her eyes and wrapping an arm around the caramel body next to her.

"I don't know… I'm so sore…" Callie groans as she tries to stretch her muscles but they protest the movement. "What did you do to me last night?" She asks, making the blonde in her arms chuckle. The Latina racks her brain for anything left of their lists, but the two women have been working so hard that they have made extremely good progress around the broken down farm. Of course there are always little maintenance things that can be done, but there is nothing major that is outstanding.

"How about a day off?" Callie asks and can feel the blonde's face screw up in confusion, thinking she must have misunderstood her.

"Like… all day?" Arizona asks, sitting up on her elbows. Callie nods and looks into the blue eyes she has grown addicted to. "Ummm…Yeah!" The blonde says excitedly, a dimpled grin shines from the sun kissed skin. She moves on top of the Latina woman and moans as breasts and centers come in contact with one another. A mischievous grin plays across the blondes face and Callie reads her mind immediately. Laughing and running her hands up and down the blondes back, she parts her legs willingly to allow the woman easier access…always ready for a little morning action.

"Ooo… someone is anxious." Arizona growls into Callie's ears and then plants her lips on the woman's caramel skin, moving from behind her ear to her jaw line and then down her neck. The blonde's strong hands move down the naked skin below her, caressing the aroused flesh and sending chills over the Latina's body. As her fingers trail through dark curls and to the woman's center, Arizona gasps when she reaches searing heat.

"Very anxious…" Arizona purrs, making Callie blush at her own arousal. The blonde's sunburned and chapped lips lock on the full one's beneath her, their tongues dueling each other for dominance. Callie's breathing becomes ragged as Arizona's fingers start to bring her close to release. The bedroom is silent except for the sound of heavy breathing, moans of pleasure, and grunts from exertion. Within minutes, both women are lost in each other, sweat forming across their brows and over their naked flesh. Caramel hands are wound tight in golden locks and chapped lips are locked on the Latina's neck. Both ride out their passion until relief floods their bodies, reaching their peaks mere seconds apart. Falling back down onto the mattress, Arizona tries to steady the shaking in her legs and arms from the effort she just exerted, while Callie's heart slows. The Latina is the first to regain function in her legs and she hauls herself out of bed. Looking back at the blonde still trying to calm herself, Callie chuckles which gets a questioning look from the blue eyes.

"You are such a top…" Callie says playfully as she pulls on a pair of pants and a shirt.

"Am not." Arizona says with a scowl on her face. The taller woman walks around the bed and hovers over the blonde, her long black hair hanging down one side of her face.

"Oh… you SO are." Callie purrs as she leans down for a quick kiss. Arizona takes that moment to pull her down completely and spin them so the blonde is back on top.

"Well look whose talking… pillow princess…" Arizona growls while pulling the Latina's legs around her hips so their centers are smashed together again, only a layer of denim keeping them from direct contact. Callie's mouth opens wide in shock and they both start giggling. Mouths reconnect and soon they are in for another hot and heavy make out session. A knocking on the front door stirs them from their bubble, both women looking at the other confused.

"Are you-" Arizona starts.

"No." Callie cuts her off. Arizona moves so the fully clothed woman can go see who has surprised them this morning, while the blonde hurriedly gets dressed. Callie slips out of the bedroom and closes the door behind her. Its not that she is afraid or embarrassed about her and Arizona, its just no ones business… not yet. She doesn't even know what they are, but she knows she is having a great time and doesn't want to complicate things just yet.

Arizona hurriedly gets dressed, then sneaks out of the bedroom and into the bathroom as she hears Callie open the front door and greet the visitor.

"Derrick!...What a surprise…" Callie exclaims a little louder than necessary, trying to alert the woman in the back of the house of who their guest is.

"I didn't wake you, did I Ms Torres?" The man with creepily perfect hair asks.

"No, no of course not. …Come on in won't you?" The Latina steps to the side to allow the man to enter. Just then, a flush from the bathroom and a fully clothed Arizona comes out of the hallway.

"Hey there Derrick." She says cheerfully.

"Ms. Robbins. How are you today?" The polite man asks with no hint of realization that he just ruined a second round of sexy time between the two women.

"Great. Just came into the house to use the facilities and get some good eating before another hard day." The blonde says, smiling at the Latina trying to keep her fit of giggles contained.

"Right, won't you join us for breakfast?" Callie asks.

"I'd love to. Thank you." He gives a shallow bow and all three move into the kitchen. Callie goes about starting the coffee and breakfast while Arizona and Derrick take seats at the table.

"Anyways… I brought you that part for your tractor." The man says as he opens his bag and pulls out a large, shiny metal part.

"Wow." Arizona's eyes go wide, like a kid in a candy store.

"Beauty, ain't it?" Derrick replies, smiling at the look on the blonde's face. Callie sees the expression on her lovers face and it makes her smile. Blue eyes lock on to brown ones, like a kid pleading to be able to go out and play.

"Breakfast first." Callie says, sending the woman a wink since Derricks back is to her. Arizona just pouts and sets the shiny metal object in front of her, her fingers playing over all the nozzles and valves. The Latina serves up another hearty breakfast, this time for three and they share a light breakfast conversation. Derrick is completely oblivious to the looks shooting between the two women, both of them itching to finish what they started earlier. When all three are stuffed, Callie clears the plates while Derrick and Arizona talk about how she is going to install the piece, the sharp eyes of the man never leaving the bright, dimpled face of the blondes.

"Arizona… may I call you Arizona?" Derrick asks, wanting to get on a more friendly footing. Arizona looks at him confused but nods. "Arizona, I was wondering if you would like to uhhh… maybe grab a burger or something at Marks." The blondes eyes are wide in surprise, the tractor part grasped firmly in her hands. Derrick notices her hesitation but he pushes through. "…Maybe tonight? ...My treat."

"Umm…." Arizona's mind races, trying to find a way out of this date invite without seriously bruising the man's ego while also keeping Callie out of the town's spotlight. Brown eyes lock onto blue ones. The Latina is also a little shocked, she never thought about the possibility of a man wanting to date this relatively unknown woman. …Her woman.

"I uhh… That sounds great, Derrick but I uhhh… I'm not sure how much longer I'll be around. You know? …I need to move on soon. I wouldn't want to lead you on." Arizona says, more truth than fabrication in her answer. Derrick's shoulders slump fractionally but he puts a smile on his face.

"Right, of course. Harvest time is almost here and then I'm guessing you'll blow out of town soon after, right?" He asks, looking between the two women, knowing only about their employer-employee relationship.

"Correct. Got the rest of this amazing country to see." Arizona says with a bright smile on her face. Callie turns back to the sink, her face falling when she thinks about the forgotten conversation they had. The one where Arizona is drifting across the country in memory of her brother. Trying to remind herself why he believed in his country so much… enough to die for it. The two women bid good day to the man as he climbs back into his truck and continues on with his out of town deliveries. Arizona's mind is busy thinking about the hunk of junk out in the barn that is about to get ripped apart. Callie's mind is still trying to process how she will handle loosing another person who has come to mean so much to her.

"Calliope, what's wrong?" Arizona asks, noticing the sullen mood of her lover.

"Nothing." She says coolly as she puts the dry dishes away. Arizona sets the part down on the counter and grabs the strong hips she has grown addicted to. Turning the woman so she faces her, blue eyes bore into brown ones.

"Talk to me." Arizona says softly. Callie knows she can't have this conversation. She can't ask this woman to stay. They aren't anything…are they even girlfriends? And she can't keep Arizona from doing what she set out to do, so she forces a fake smile on her face.

"Really, its nothing." The Latina assures, but Arizona doesn't quite buy it. A light peck on the lips from the raven haired farmer helps to clear her mind. "Now… how about that tractor?" Callie asks, knowing exactly what to do to get Arizona's mind off of this heavy subject. The blondes face immediately goes from concerned to excited, completely forgetting the conversation they were just in the middle of.

"Wanna help?" Arizona asks as she lifts the big part off the counter and moves to the back door.

"I'll be there in a minute, you go on." Callie says, a true smile on her face now as she watches the excitement and joy radiate out of every pore of the blonde's strong body. Arizona nods then flies out of the house and towards her waiting project. Callie watches from the door as the blonde nearly skips to the barn and disappears into her workshop, a dimple grinned plastered on her face.

Her face falls again, the thought of that blonde leaving for good making her heart ache. She moves through the house and stops at the door that always remains closed. Taking a deep breath, the Latina grabs the handle and pushed the door open. A warm, slightly dusty room greets her. The one window allows the bright Oklahoma sun to shine through, illuminating the neutral yellow walls. It was still too early in her pregnancy to find out the sex of the baby, but then the accident with her husband happened, and a week later she miscarried, the stress of the whole ordeal being too much for her body to try and grow another human being inside her. Those were Callie's darkest times. She didn't know how she would make it through. She took a year off life…she went to her old home in Miami, under the care and watchful eye of her mother and father and laid in bed for a whole year. And then this year she came back, determined to make George's farm run by herself. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she was scared. Scared she couldn't do it. And then… she came marching into town and walking into Big Reds, sweat dripping from her blue bandana clad forehead, IPod in her ears. That blonde brought the sun back into Callie's life. …And now, just as quickly as the sunlight rose, it will leave her world again.

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><p>AN2: Will Callie express her fears? Will Arizona guess? …Will it change what is going to happen?<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So Callie has realized that Arizona isn't staying… or is she? Will she talk about her fears, or go on and pretend like nothing is wrong. Let's see. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

"I'm waiting on the sun to set cuz yesterday ain't over yet…" The blonde shakes her butt to the tune of Miranda Lambert's 'Kerosene'. "I started smoking cigarettes, there's nothing else to do I guess. Dusty roads ain't made for walkin, spinning tires ain't made for stopping…." Callie approaches the woman who is elbows deep in the belly of her ancient tractor, trying to install the last piece Derrick just dropped off this morning. A smile crosses the Latina's face when she hears the less than even singing voice of her visitors, but it's one of her favorite sounds ever.

"I'm giving up on love cuz love's given up on me. …Well I gave it everything I had and everything I got was bad…. Life aint hard, but it's too long to live it like some country song…" Arizona is jamming to her iPod when she see's a head full of gorgeous black hair out of the corner of her eye. She smiles as she pulls the plugs from her ears and let's Miranda continue singing her love troubles unheard. A dimpled grin meets the one on the Latina's face. Callie moves in closer to the blonde and tries to wipe off the grease and oil from the fairer skin.

"Do you always have to make a mess?" Callie asks playfully, just managing to spread the grease and oil around further. Arizona giggles as she grabs hold of the other woman's hand and pulls her in closer, making the Latina pin her against the tractor she was just working on. Their lips meet as Arizona pulls Callie's hips harder against hers.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Arizona asks softly as their kiss breaks. She hasn't forgotten the way Callie's mood flipped in a second.

"Nothing's wrong." The Latina lies, playing at the thin material of the blonde's tank top covering her toned torso.

"Calliope…" Arizona tries again.

"Just…" The raven haired woman is about to open up but her eyes lock on to the blue ones inches from her and she chokes. "…Derrick hit on you… that's all. I uhh… wasn't expecting that." She says, forcing a small smile.

"Oh… got jealous huh?" Arizona buys the fake excuse. Callie's smile turns genuine because she did in fact get jealous. The blonde places a light kiss on the Latina's lips and says "Don't worry… guys don't do anything for me." Callie smiles and backs away from the blonde who turns back around to the tractor.

"You wanna give me a hand with this?" Arizona asks.

"I thought I gave you the day off…" Callie asks as she pulls her hair back.

"This isn't work… this is fun." The blonde gives the woman a dimpled smile. The two women spend a lazy couple hours working together on the piece of hunk, both not really worried about time or chores. They are just enjoying each other's company during a very unusual free day. The sun is at the highest point in the sky by the time Callie tightens the last screw and Arizona says that they are done.

"Want to do the honors?" Arizona asks as she closes the side of the tractor. Both of them are covered in oil and grease, having wrestled and smeared the dark substances over each other's flesh throughout their workings.

"You did all the hard work. You should do it." Callie says with a smile. Arizona flashes her dimples then climbs up onto the raised seat. The blonde primes the engine and pumps the clutch, getting the beast back into working order and then fires it up. It starts quickly and runs clean. Both women let out a whoop of success, happy that Callie won't have to lose even more money by buying another tractor, money she doesn't have. Arizona hops down off the tractor and cleans up the tools that she has come to refer as her's…and Callie likes that they are her tools. As the blonde kneels down to pick up the items off the ground, brown eyes land on the tight ass that is clad in worn denim. Her eyes rake over the strong legs and trim torso, her mouth watering as she thinks about that body being pressed against hers.

"Close your mouth." Arizona growls, making Callie jump. The Latina's eyes had glazed over and didn't notice the blonde stand and catch her brown eyes glued to the woman's body. The drift walks up close to Callie, who slowly closes her mouth, and says "You were staring." A small smile plays across the blonde's face and she places a light kiss against shocked lips.

"Sorry." Callie says softly, a blush forming under her blackened cheeks.

"Don't be." Arizona gives her a wink and turns back to the tractor. Another fifteen minutes and their work space is all cleaned up. The two women move back to the house and down a bottle of water, the cool liquid refreshing their tired and sore bodies. More than two months straight of hard work and its finally catching up with them.

"So, what now?" Arizona asks, not use to having free time.

"I don't know about you but…" Callie says seductively as she sashays down the hallway and to the bathroom. Looking over her shoulder, she continues "…but I could do with a hot…" she purrs at 'hot' a little more than needed. "…shower." Then she disappears into the bathroom. Arizona's eyes have gone wide, the movement of the Latina's body making her own body react hungrily. A second later, and the blonde is up out of her seat and running down the hall, striping her clothes as she goes. The curtain on the shower is pulled back, waiting for its second occupant when Arizona comes storming into the bathroom. The Latina is waiting, a knowing smile on her face when blue eyes are immediately in front of her, hot waters hitting both of their dirtied bodies.

Stepping back out of the shower, both fresh and clean… and very satisfied yet again, they change into clean clothes and move into the kitchen. They had a late breakfast, and didn't work too hard today, so they plan on an early dinner.

"How about we have fish for dinner?" Callie asks, as she peruses her nearly empty refrigerator. Its Friday night, meaning tomorrow is grocery day.

"That's cool… want me to help?" Arizona replies, coming up behind the Latina and looking over her shoulders. "Ummm…. You don't have any fish." The blondes face scrunches up in confusion.

"Nope… we'll have to go get some." Callie states, closing the fridge door and turning to face her lover. "And I know the perfect place." An hour later, Callie pulls up next to a large lake. The sun is halfway through its setting, creating an orange glow that lights the grasses and trees surrounding the area. The two women load up an old boat and Callie cranks up the engine, taking them out to the deep end of the body of water.

"You know….when you said we'd have to get some… I was thinking the grocery store… or a restaurant." Arizona plays as she watches Callie set up their fishing poles.

"We could have… but why buy store fish when we can get it straight from the water." Callie replies, handing a pole to the blonde sitting in front of her. Arizona takes it, and just looks at it, completely lost. She watches as Callie sets her own pole up and baits it. The Latina sees that, for once, Arizona seems completely lost at what to do.

"Seriously?" Callie asks, trying to keep from laughing at the blonde right in her face. "You've never fished before?"

"I uhh…" She looks at the worm squirming on the end of the Latina's hook, then eyes her own empty hook. "No. …No, I haven't" Arizona finally admits, a dimpled smile leaking across her face. The two women laugh as Callie shows her how to hook a fish and cast. They spend the next two hours with their poles just soaking as they make out like a couple of teenagers. They lie back against the floor of the boat, their bodies molded together, their hands roaming bodies they know like their own.

"I didn't know fishing could be so relaxing…" Arizona breathes out during one of their air breaks. Callie, who is currently on top, lets out a belly laugh and looks down into blue eyes that she has grown addicted to. Then, the sound of the line reeling brings them back to the real world. Callie sits up as Arizona gives a confused look as to what that noise is.

"You got one!" Callie yells, making the blonde sit up too. She wipes her swollen and bruised lips and grabs her pole.

"W-what do I do?" Arizona asks, as the line gets pulled further and further from them. She grabs the handle and the reeling halts.

"Reel it in." Callie says, wrapping her arms around the blonde and taking hold of the fishing rod too. Both women work to haul the fish in, Callie showing the other woman how to let it go just enough for it to come back. It's a game of give and take but soon Arizona is able to haul her first fish ever up and into the boat. Callie pulls the hook from the mouth of the fish and holds it up for the blonde to see.

"Not a bad catch…" The Latina says, watching the big smile spread across the blondes face. "Should make a good meal." The woman baits the hook again and goes to cast but something goes wrong because the next thing she hears is a wail from the blonde next to her.

"Jesus!" Arizona exclaims at the sting on her back. Callie freezes. Looking over her shoulder, the blonde can see the hook imbedded in her shoulder. "What the hell? !" Blue eyes lock on to the shocked brown eyes.

"Oh! …MY God! Arizona…" Callie drops the pole and turns the woman so she can take a look at the hook. "Shit… I am so sorry..." The hook is deep, and if that wasn't enough, dirt and worm guts are seeping into the open wound. "I'm going to have to take us back. I need to get that out of you." Callie says, drawing on the small amount of medical knowledge she possess… but she knows dirt and open wounds don't play well together.

"Just pull it out." The roughed traveler says.

"It's a barbed hook Arizona…" Callie growls as she attempts to pull it out anyways. A flinch from the blonde and Callie stops. "Yeah, we need to go back. I have some tools in my truck."

"What about dinner?" Arizona whines, upset that their field trip is over.

"That fish is big enough. We'll make due. But I really want to get that hook out of you." Callie says as she reels in her own line and fires up the small engine of the boat and heads back to shore. Twenty minutes later, the boat is docked and unloaded, the fishing gear thrown in the back of Callie's truck and the woman is pulling out her tool box.

"Take off your shirt." Callie says, trying to find the pair of wire cutters and pliers.

"You take off your shirt." Arizona shoots back, a dimpled grin on her face. Callie gives her a hard glare. Rolling her blue eyes, she carefully tries to take off her top but it tugs on the hook and she squeals in pain.

"Here…" Callie turns the woman and rips the material around the hook. The Latina's fingers move to the hem of the blondes shirt and pulls it up over blonde tresses. Both women's heart rates increase, their bodies automatically responding to the sequence of events, because the hundred times before when Arizona has been disrobed, very happy times followed. Callie takes the tools in her hands, and tries to get the hook out. It's imbedded pretty deep, and the best way to get it out is to let it follow the curve of the hook and push it through the layer of skin.

"This is going to hurt." Callie says, her heart breaking knowing she is about to bring pain to the one person she would never want to. Arizona gives a stiff nod and takes a deep breath. Callie snips the long end off the hook, wiping the worm guts and dirt off as much as she can then takes hold of the metal with the tweezers. A deep breath herself, Callie pushes the hook through the blonde's muscles and flesh. Arizona groans in discomfort, her shoulder on fire as the sharp metal makes its way through healthy tissues. Finally, Callie breaks the skin, a fresh streak of blood running down the blonde's soft skin, and pulls the hook free.

"Ow…" Arizona groans, very thankful that it's over.

"Sorry…" Callie says sheepishly. The blonde turns and sees the defeated look in the Latina's eyes. Arizona's face softens as she moves in closer to the woman. After Callie puts her tools back, she turns and sees the blonde right in front of her, blue eyes locked onto brown. The two look at each other, and then Callie leans in, their lips meeting. The kiss is soft and chaste, nothing like the hours of kissing they spent in the boat. Parting, they rest their foreheads against each others.

"I didn't mean for our date to end like this." Callie says, not thinking about the words she just used. Arizona's mind immediately starts working.

"Date?" She asks, making Callie's eyes snap up to the blondes. "This was a date?" Arizona is playing with the woman, but Callie doesn't know.

"I…I,I-" Callie is fumbling, afraid that she just spooked Arizona. Yes, they make out and have sex like crazy, but they've never talked about what they are, or what will happen after harvest. For all Callie knows, she is just a summer time fling for the blonde.

"Calm down Calliope…" Arizona purrs, placing a gentle kiss on the Latina. "I was the most eventful date I've ever had. …And I hope its not over. …Come on…" Arizona grabs Callie's hand. "Lets go see about that dinner…" The two climb back in the truck and head back to the farm, frying up their fresh catch and enjoying the dwindling hours of their one free day off, because they both know it's back to the grind tomorrow.

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><p>AN2: So… a little fluff. A little seriousness. …Tomorrow is grocery day, meaning going back into town and conversing with other people. Will it go smoothly? Or will the returning of Mark Sloan make it tricky? Let me know. Thanks in advance for your reviews!<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So its grocery day. Will it go smoothly or will the towns folk make it difficult for the two lost women. Let's see. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

"So… you going to spill or what?" Addison asks her best friend. Callie and Arizona are back in town to stock up on supplies just as they have done every Saturday before. Yesterday they had their first date… kind of a date. Callie thought of it as a date, Arizona thought of it as a date, but they didn't really refer to it as a date around each other. They just called it another dinner they shared together… before they made love again.

"Spill what?" Callie gives the red head a questioning look before her eyes go back to scanning the nearly empty store again for the blonde.

"Umm… hello!" Addison exclaims, making Callie's head snap back to the redhead. "You can't keep your eyes off of her for a second. You can't tell me there is nothing going on."

"There's not." Callie replies, her eyes dropping to the counter, away from the all knowing eyes of her best friend and keeping them from searching for the blue eyes that suck her in. "We're just friends… that's all."

"Cal… I think it's great." Addison places a gentle hand on the Latina's arm, not buying the woman's story. Just then, Arizona pushes the cart up to the checkout counter and see's the red heads hand on her lovers arm.

"Ladies… did I interrupt something?" She asks, her blue eyes on Addison, who pulls her hand away a little faster than necessary.

"Not at all. I was just trying to get the juicy stuff out of Callie here. …But her lips are sealed." She says as she starts ringing up the women's items. "So… Arizona. What's going on between you two?" Addison turns her questioning glare to the blonde.

"Going on?" Arizona plays dumb, taking her cue from Callie. If the Latina isn't comfortable divulging their relationship, Arizona doesn't want to betray that. So…if Callie didn't tell her best friend anything, Arizona sure as hell isn't.

"Oh come on! …Look, I may not have the best radar or...gaydar or whatever but I've seen the way you two dance around each other." Addison's temper is rising because she doesn't understand why the woman won't just come clean. Arizona can see the way Callie is fidgeting and wanting to get out of the conversation so she steps in and tries to get the red head to back down.

"Addison… there is nothing going on alright? We are just friendly co-workers and then once the crops come in, I'm out of this one-horse town." Arizona throws down a couple of bills and grabs the bags full of their groceries. "Come on Cal." She says and then storms out of the store. Callie follows, her mood now turned sour from both the interrogation from her best friend, and Arizona saying for the second time in as many days that she is here only until harvest time. The blonde throws the groceries in the back of the truck and climbs into the passenger's side. Callie slips into the driver's side and just sits there, and upset look on her face. Arizona reaches over and puts a hand on hers, their intertwined hands out of view from any prying eyes.

"Don't worry. I can play it cool as long as you want me to." Arizona says, thinking Callie's look is just fear of almost being outed. Callie gives the hand a small squeeze and then let's go. The two continue with their regular Saturday afternoon errands, as well as going to the one clothing store and replacing some of the items that have been ruined from dirt or grease or passionate hands ripping material away from bodies…too eager to take time to pull shirts over heads or panties down legs. The whole while, Callie remains distant from the blonde and Arizona notices but brushes it off as after effects of the red heads line of questioning.

Callie rolls the beat up truck into the parking lot of Marks and turns off the beast. She sits back and takes a deep breath. Arizona's blue eyes lock on to brown ones and the blonde can't help but feel sadness from her look.

"Are you ok?" She asks the Latina.

"Yeah, fine. …Just have a slight headache that's all. Nothing a beer and burger won't fix." Callie plasters a smile on her face and steps out of the truck. Arizona doesn't by the excuse but also knows that the harder you push the Latina, the more she folds in on herself. So, the blonde lets it go and decides that maybe all they need is a night out. Walking into the homey bar, a round of greetings are shouted out to the women, both being beautiful and …thought… single ladies and all the men in town know them. They take a seat at their usual four top, sitting directly across from each other. Not ten minutes later, a red head enters to a chorus of another round of cat calls.

"So… have we cooled down a bit?" Addison asks, more rhetorically than anything. She gets a scowl from Callie and an eye roll from the blonde. "Guess not." The red head says, taking a seat between the two women.

"Ladies! …Ladies. Ladies. Ladies." Mark interrupts as he comes from the back of his bar. His smile is wide as he looks between his three dinner companions. Everyone in town is envious that he gets to spent this kind of time with three of the most gorgeous women ever to live in this dusty town. Little do they know… and Mark as well… that he doesn't stand a chance in hell with any of them. He is more of entertainment to them than anything else.

"So… what's it going to be? …Four of the usual?" He asks, looking between the blonde, the red head and the raven haired woman. They all nod, a bit of tension in the air.

"Bailey!" The tall man hollers' over the din of the crowded bar.

"What?" The short woman barks.

"Four of the usual." Mark yells over his shoulder.

"Boy, I am not your servant." Miranda growls as she moves up and down the bar, filling drink orders to the town thirsty patrons.

"Bailey!" Mark yells at her again, which gets him the Bailey glare. "…Never mind." He says, his insides twisting under the hard stare of the frightening woman. He leaves to go put the order in himself, then returns with a round of beers. Soon, the tension drifts away as the alcohol soothes everyone's nerves. Mark entertains the women as he recounts his conquests around the hospital his mother was staying in. How many of the nurses he tapped in on-call rooms, and pharmaceutical reps her screwed in supply closets. The women sit back and berate him on being a sleaze ball and that being the reason he will never find a single woman who will be willing to put up with him. It's all part of their love-hate relationship that seems to work for the group. During the entire dinner, Arizona and Callie steal glances at each other, their eyes locking and then just as quickly dropping. Soon, Mark has had one too many beers and is feeling loose.

"Come on Cal… let's dance." He says, grabbing the hand of his friend and pulling the woman to the dance floor. Callie and Mark often dance, it's just one of the things they do. Arizona eyes her lover being pulled by the man and suppresses the urge to speak up.

"That doesn't bother you?" Addison asks as she drains her second beer and gestures for a refill.

"Why should it? …We are just friends. And they are just friends." Arizona says coolly, her fingertips playing along the rim of her own beer glass. "Besides… I am gone in about three weeks anyways."

"Gone?" Addison questions, she never thought that the blonde was serious about leaving after harvest time. "Seriously… you're leaving?"

"Yep." The blonde answers, her eyes flashing at the couple on the dance floor again.

"Why?" The red head asks, taking a drag on her third beer.

"Because I don't live here. I walked in to this town and I'm walking out. …I need to finish my trip before it gets too cold." Arizona replies, thinking about the walk she started out of Boston so many months ago. And remembering why she is taking this pilgrimage across America… to find the reasons why her brother loved and believed in this country to much to give his life protecting it.

"Where are you heading?" Addison asks, her eyes landing on the Latina who is slow dancing with her friend on the dance floor. The red head knows that losing the blonde will break her best friends heart. After all the progress she has made after her husband's death and her miscarriage, she will go spiraling back down into the abyss.

"West Coast… I don't know. I just know that this place isn't where I stop." The blonde says as she stands and takes the seat where her back is facing the dance floor. It's the only way she won't be tempted to look at the Latina swaying with the man's arms wrapped around her. Mark feels Callie tense in his arms as she sees Arizona turn her back to her.

"What's wrong Cal?" He asks, his hands roaming up and down the woman's sides. More than once, Callie has had to physically move his hands from her ass back up to her waist.

"Nothing." Callie lies, plastering a fake smile on her face for her best guy friend. Mark looks over his shoulder and in the direction of where the Latina's eyes keep roaming to. All he sees is the back of the blondes head and Addison deep in conversation.

"She's hot." Mark says out of the blue.

Callie, very confused with the subject change, asks "What?"

"Blondie… she's hot." The man says, peeking back over his shoulder. The image of a sweaty Arizona in nothing but her jeans, sports bra, and tool belt slung around her waist has been one of his most used pictures during his 'personal' time.

"Derrick told me she shot him down." The bar owner continues. "Think I have a shot? I'd like to get at that before she skips town." He asks as he moves his eyebrows suggestively.

"Were you dropped on your head as an infant?" Callie asks, a bit angry that her friend is thinking about getting into Arizona's pants.

"Oh come on Cal. Tell me, if you were a man, you wouldn't want to hit that?" Mark spins them so that Callie's back is right up against his front and they are pointed in the direction of their table. Mark leans down and whispers into Callie's ear "How about you let me come home with you tonight? I could relieve all this tension in your body…" Mark rakes his hands up and down his friend body, recalling the night he almost got his wish. "…And if not you, well… I'm sure Blondie could use some priming." The man pulls the Latina's hips back, pressing her toned ass into his center.

Callie pushes herself off the man, turns and slaps him across the face. "You're a fucking pig." And then storms off the crowded dance floor. She barrels her way through the mass of people and walks up to the table. Arizona and Addison are both just staring at their beer glasses when she gets there. Blue eyes lock on to brown and they have a silent conversation all of their own.

"What's wrong?" Arizona asks, seeing the hurt and anger in those usually soft brown eyes.

"I need to go." Callie says as she pulls out some bills and throws them on the table. Addison just watches the scene, not wanting to interfere because this might reveal something that the two women having been hiding up until now.

"Why? …What happened?" The blonde asks as she looks between the Latina and the man shocked still on the dance floor, still rubbing the throbbing pain out of his cheek.

"I just…" Callie is about to open up but sees the sharp stare coming from the red head, almost like she is daring the Latina to say what is really on her mind. "I just need to get out of here." Arizona doesn't buy it, her forehead scrunching up as she tries to read the expression on Callie's face, along with the bar owners who is currently moving through the crowd and towards their table.

"Cal-" Mark tries but Callie cuts him off.

"Are you coming or will you be walking again tonight?" Callie spits at the blonde. Arizona snaps back from the woman almost like she had been slapped.

"Yeah…" She looks between Callie and Mark, the man's eyes trying to find that of his friends but Callie keeps her gaze away. "I'm uhhh… I'm coming." Arizona finishes off the last part of her beer and stands then walks through the crowded bar and out onto the street behind the Latina. Once they are outside, Callie takes a deep breath, trying to process all of the raging emotions within her right now. Arizona just looks on, lost and worried.

"Calliope-" Arizona tries, putting a soft hand on the woman's shoulder but it gets brushed off.

"Not here." Callie snaps at her and turns to her waiting truck. Arizona is very confused by now, but follows the woman to her car and gets into the passenger's seat. The fifteen minute drive out of town is quiet, the strong hands of the Latina gripping and ungripping at the steering wheel. A mixture of hurt and anger and fear raging through her as thoughts of Arizona leaving, Mark wanting to have sex with her woman, and Addison finding out about their relationship flash across the front of her mind.

"Cal!" Arizona yells as she grabs the steering wheel and rights the vehicle that was drifting off into oncoming traffic. Callie's mind is immediately back on the road. "What the hell?" Arizona exclaims. "What's wrong?" Blue eyes try to find brown ones but they are glued on the road.

"Nothing." Callie says flatly through clenched teeth. Arizona lets it go, not wanting to sacrifice the woman's concentration on the road in front of them for the sake of having this conversation. The rest of the trip is in silent and as they pull up in front of the house, both women unload the truck just as they do every other Saturday night. Once everything is put away, Arizona leans back against the counter in the kitchen and stares at Callie, who is sitting at the table, her head in her hands.

"What happened?" Arizona tries again. Callie just shakes her head and rubs her face, trying to get this conversation dismissed. The blonde walks over to the woman and crouches down in front of her, trying to find those dark brown eyes.

"Calliope… what can I do?" Arizona asks, wanting to do anything to help this woman who is obviously hurting, though she doesn't know why. Callie's eyes snap up to the bright blue ones infront of her and the next second their lips are smashed together. Callie stands and pulls the blonde up with her. Using the strength she developed from years of farming, she is able to nearly pull the woman down the hallway and to her bedroom door. Arizona doesn't necessarily mind where this is going, and is even turned on by the force Callie seems to be using as they have never really 'role played' like this before, but something just doesn't seem right.

As they reach the threshold of the bedroom, Arizona manages to pry her lips off the Latina's and find her eyes. They are darker than usual. "Callie, talk to me." The blonde pleads. The land owner just takes the blondes lips in hers again and pushes them into the room and onto the waiting bed. Her hands start to move to the blonde's shirt and Arizona reacts on instincts, lifting her arms to aid in the removal of the material. Both women's breathing and heart rates increase the more clothes they lose. Arizona is looking up into the dark eyes of her lover as Callie's fingers hook around the waistband of the blondes panties.

"Calliope…" Arizona tries one last time, her hands cupping the Latinas face and tracing the curve of her cheek. Callie pauses, looking into the blue eyes she has grown to love. She kisses the woman below her softly, very differently from the passionate frenzied kisses that led up to this point.

"I need this." Callie says, her eyes pleading. Arizona nods and the next second she is removed of her last article of clothing. The two women spend the dwindling hours of that night bringing each other to several peaks of pleasure. No words are spoken other than the occasional encouragement or pleading for more. Callie ties to replace all the hurt and pain in her world with every last ounce of pleasure she can squeeze from the little time she has left with the blonde. Arizona, completely lost as to what all happened tonight in town, tries to get Callie everything she can, hoping that it will be enough.

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><p>AN2: Again… no talking. Just more angst. …Will they ever talk?<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Are they going to talk, or will it just blow up in their faces? Let's see. …Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

The next week went by quickly, both women working their asses off as usual, trying to prepare for harvest that was just around the corner. They didn't talk much, mostly because they didn't have the energy to do so. Callie's mood never left the blonde's mind. The Latina started to run hot and cold. Some days it was all Arizona could do to get a good morning out of the woman, let alone get her to reciprocate in any sort of emotional or physical contact. And then other days, it was all Arizona could do to come up for air as Callie brought heights of pleasure to the woman's body. Both women are so confused they couldn't find their way out of a paper bag, but neither know how to talk about it… because neither want to take the first step.

Another Saturday rolls around, and Arizona is silently dreading another night out which only seems to wind the Latina up even more. Not that last Saturday night wasn't enjoyable… It was. Really. But, the look in Callie's eyes as she ravaged the smaller woman's body angrily mad Arizona's stomach churn. Callie was also not looking forward to their dinner that night and came up with a way to get out of it. She plodded out into the kitchen later than usual, finding Arizona cooking them up some breakfast, when the Latina said she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be working today. The blonde, happy to finally be able to do something for the obviously hurting woman, volunteered to do the errands for her. A quick trip into town, Arizona was back at the farm before noon. That Saturday they spent in the house. No friends. No dinner. …No talking.

One morning, just like the rest, the two women wake up in the same bed but now… they don't talk. They don't mess around. There is no more morning action. They just roll out of bed, eat breakfast, and get to work. But finally, Arizona has had enough. She cares about Callie, truly she does and she wants to help her. As Callie and Arizona are eating in silence, the blonde just stares at the Latina across from her. Her face is sullen and her eyes have lost that spark of life in them.

"Ok…." Arizona say, dropping her fork on the plate making Callie jump at the noise. "Enough of this." The other woman at the table gives her a questioning look. Blue eyes stare right into brown eyes.

"What?" Callie finally asks.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The blonde questions her.

"Nothing." Callie spits out as she rises and clears her half eaten breakfast.

"Nothing?" Arizona fires back, crossing her arms over her chest and making the definition of her arms pop. Callie eye's travel up that sun kissed flesh, following the curves of the muscular woman. She had almost witnessed the blondes body transform the short time she has been her. She was never NOT fit, but month of hard physical labor have only toned her and made her already formed muscles more defined.

"Nothing." Callie says again, this time her voice cold and even. Blue eyes bore into brown ones. The blonde studies the woman standing before her. She can see the mask pulled over the Latina's face. It's the same mask that has been lost in the last month they had been together.

"Bullshit." The drifter says confidently. She stands and walks up in front of Callie, their bodies inches apart. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Arizona says softly. She can see the resolve start to crumble in those brown eyes. But a shake of the dark haired head, and those walls snap back up.

"I don't need your help." Callie says coolly as she turns her back to the blonde and turns on the sink. She looks out of the window, once broken now fixed because of Arizona, and sees her land spread out before her. It was a mere two and a half months ago that this place was in shambles but now… its not in the best shape ever, but its close.

"Right." Arizona says softly, taking a couple steps back from the woman at the sink. Callie's words cut her deeper than she let on. Arizona knew that she had helped the Latina more than she could say… and neither of them did say it. They both saw the way this place transformed once the blonde got to work. Not only on the farm and the house, but the Latina herself. The way her eyes sparkled, the difference in her laughter. The softness in her smile. But now… now it seemed to be going down the drain. Like a pretty pink bubble has popped.

"The fence on the southern edge needs patched." Callie states, trying to get the blonde away from her so she can fall apart alone. Blue eyes go empty as she processes the words. Its been forever since Callie has given her a chore. They've always worked together, never telling the other what to do. They just do it, but now… Callie has returned to her employer position.

"Yes ma'am." Arizona replies, words dripping with disdain. She turns and bolts out the door, it springing shut behind her. The blonde marches into the barn, grabs all the supplies she will need and then loads up the working tractor and heads out to the busted fence.

As Arizona leaves, Callie sinks to the floor of the kitchen, silent tears running down her face. She knows she hurt the other woman, but for some reason she wanted to. She wanted to make Arizona hurt like she is hurting.

Both women work through the day, pushing their bodies hard and taking breaks only when they are on the verge of collapse. Arizona's hammer strike can be heard echoing through the entire farm, each bang making Callie's heart break alittle bit more. She purposely sent the blonde away from her today. Once the dams started to break, the Latina couldn't hold in the flood waters. Her tears of misery and self-pity mix with the sweat that cascades down her face.

"What the hell is wrong with that woman?" Arizona growls, raising her hammer and bringing it down, burying the nail with one expert strike. "I mean… how can she not talk to me?" Another strike. "Its not like we aren't… fuck!" Another strike. "What are we?" Another strike. Then her beat stops. Her mind races, trying to place the feelings she has. The blonde has never been in love before, so she has nothing to draw on, but… this has to be what love feels like, right? Is this what other people feel?

"Doesn't even matter…" Arizona growls again, placing another nail against a post and striking it dead on the head. "She doesn't…" Another strike. "…Need…" Another strike. "…my…" Another. "HELP!" She puts all her strength behind the final hammer strike, making the wood around the nail splinter from the sheer force. "Fuck it." She spits, and leaves the less than perfect post there. It's the first thing she has done sub-par around here and it feels right to send a message to the Latina that she can't break the blondes heart without getting something broken in return.

Both pack in their work as the sun starts to set, having come up with some sort of internal clock that tells them their day is through. Callie is at the sink in her kitchen when she sees a lone figure moving through the tall wheat fields, hair matching that of the golden color of her crops. The blonde wipes her brow as she moves into the barn. Moments later, she comes back out without her tools and supplies and heads for the house. The Latina drops her eyes to the sink in front of her as the kitchen door opens and the footfall of heavy boots announces Arizona's arrival.

"Dinner isn't ready yet." Callie says offhandedly.

"Whatever." Arizona growls, moving through the kitchen and into the back of the house. She grabs a clean pair of clothes and then hops in the shower. Callie's heart starts to race as she thinks about the naked woman in her bath, and all the times they decided to 'save water' and shower together. Her body reacts at the thought of the smaller woman's hand working their magic on her body. Its been days since they've had any sort of physical intimacy… a long drought compared to their track record where at least two rounds a day were the norm… and her center craves the release only Arizona seems to be able to give her. The Latina busies herself with whipping up their dinner, trying to get her mind off the wet and very naked woman just down the hall from her. She doesn't have the energy to cook anything fancy and decides that sandwiches will have to do for tonight. Making up two, she plates them both then set one at the table where Arizona usually eats. Callie doesn't wait for the blonde, her own hunger getting the better of her, and digs in. Minutes later, Arizona comes out of the bathroom fully clothed and crosses the hallway to the bedroom. Another minute later and the blonde exits the bedroom and makes her way towards the kitchen, shoulder strap of her backpack gripped in her hand.

"Where are you going?" Callie asks, seeing the bag slung over the blondes shoulder. Her stomach churns as she thinks that this may be it. Arizona might be walking off her property right now.

"The barn." Arizona says flatly as she grabs the sandwich from the plate and heads to the back door.

"What... Why?" The Latina asks, standing from her chair.

Arizona turns back around and locks eyes with the landowner. "I don't know… you tell me. …There is something wrong. And you can't talk to me, which tells me that it is BECAUSE of me. So… I'm moving back out to the barn. There is obviously something about this…" Arizona gestures between the two women "…that has upset you so I am removing myself from the equation." The blonde watches the raven haired woman's face soften and mistakes it as relief. "I'm staying until harvest and then I'm out of here." That's the last word the blonde says as she pushes open the kitchen door and walks out into the Oklahoma night, leaving the hurt and confused Latina standing in the lit kitchen all by herself.

Arizona moves to the barn and climbs the ladder she used the first month she was here. When she gets up to the loft, she finds it just as she left it. The lone, old cot waiting for her long forgotten sleeping bag, and the old kerosene lantern sitting on the wooden box used as a night stand still sitting where she left them. Dropping her backpack onto the cot, Arizona walks over to the large opening on the top level, and steps out onto the roof. It's like her own, personal balcony that overlooks the house and the wheat fields dancing behind it. She sits on the slanted surface and watches the lit windows, hoping to see the outline of the woman who has shattered her heart today. The light in the kitchen goes off, and then thirty seconds later, the light in the bedroom goes on. The curtains are parted, and Arizona can see a small part of the room through the lit window. She can't see the tears running down Callie's face, but just the Latina change into her pajamas. Arizona's chest tightens at the sight of the smooth expanse of the woman's stomach, the same stomach her hands and tongue use to caress at every chance she could get. A single tear escapes her blue eyes, then she stands and walks back within the barn, setting out her sleeping bag and curling up under the light material. Both women fall into darkness, thinking of the other and the heartache they are experiencing.

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><p>AN2: Communication bites them in the ass again. Will one of them finally step up and say what is really on their minds?<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona has moved out, and Callie is scared. Arizona is scared. Will one of them take a step, or will they part ways and never know the truth?

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

"Where's Arizona?" Addison asks her friend. She had witnessed the Latina pull up in front of her store, hours before she usually does, and exit the cab of the truck alone. Only a single body moved through the front door and it made the red head even more suspicious. She had noticed the sullen mood of the woman since that night at the bar, and was even more convinced that there was something going on between Callie and the drifter.

Callie grabs a cart and answers. "She's working." It's the middle of harvest. The two women are half way through cutting the hundreds of acres of wheat and its hard work. They've been at it for four days, working separately and silently. Every morning, Arizona comes in and they eat in silence. Blue eyes continually try to find brown ones, but the Latina keeps her eyes away from the piercing oceans across from her. Every morning, Arizona storms out a little more defeated than the last. By now, the blonde has given up getting the landowner to talk and is just focused on getting the crop in and running as fast as she can away from this place. Callie, determined that all she ever was to the blonde was a summer fling, keeps her walls high and tight, revealing nothing about the storm of hurt raging inside her.

When the Latina pulls her cart up in front of the cash register, her eyes try to avoid the questioning look of the redhead behind the counter.

"Are you stupid or something?" Addison finally asks, making Callie's head snap up.

"What?" She is very confused, not knowing what her best friend is talking about.

'You have to be if you let that woman just waltz out of your life." Addison says, her voice raised. Callie looks around the store, seeing all the eyes that have snapped to the front of the building. "Seriously Cal, if you-"

"Shhh." Callie shushes the woman.

Addison growls and then lowers her voice. "You can NOT let her leave."

"What am I suppose to do? Rope her and tie her up in the barn. Use her for sex and then throw food at her to keep her alive?" Callie asks, their faces inches apart.

"If that's what it takes." Addison says seriously. Callie rolls her eyes and backs away from the red head.

"She's leaving. She's said it… I don't know how many times and I'm not going to be the idiot woman who begs for her to stay. …I knew from the beginning that this was just…just…"

"Just what?" Addison questions her. Callie rolls her eyes again, getting very annoyed at the nosy woman, but she keeps pushing. "No. Cal… Just what? Tell me. Just… just a thing that has turned your whole life inside out? Just something fun? Just something to be brushed off like last years crops?"

"She's a season." Callie says offhandedly as she pays her bill.

"What does that mean?" Addison slams the cash register shut, again capturing the attention of all the other grocery store patrons.

"People come into your life for a reason… a season… or a lifetime." Callie says, having had this conversation with herself a hundred times since Arizona moved out of her bedroom, well over a week ago now. "And… Arizona is a season. …Literally in this case."

"All I know is that… you glow. Or… you glew or glowed or whatever the past tense of glow is. When you two were together… you were happy, Callie. Like… sickening happy. And this coming from a single woman with a ticking womb… we are cranky and bitter people Callie… And I know you were happy." Addison says as she leans on the counter, moving in closer to her friend. Callie just looks into those sharp eyes, the ones that helped her get past all the dark and evil in her life. Addison was there to help her pick her life back up after George died… after the premature loss of her unborn baby.

"See you next week Addy." Callie says, finishing the conversation. She grabs her bags, throws them in the back of her truck and goes about the rest of her errands. The Latina pulls up to the house just a few hours after she left. She knows Arizona is somewhere out on her land, harvesting the golden wheat that will make up her living until the next crops come in.

Arizona has been out under the hot Oklahoma sun for a few hours when she heard the engine of the old pick up truck announce the return of her boss. They didn't usually work on Saturdays, or at least… work THAT hard on Saturdays, spending half of it in town. But now the blonde just wants to get the crops brought in as soon as she could so she could get back on the road. By now she was convinced that Callie was over her. That… Arizona was just an experiment or something. Callie couldn't open up to her about what was really going on and the blonde was tired of trying to play mind reader.

The next few days pass as the last. Silence and heart break. Both women searching for something in the other, but never finding it. Arizona has tried again and again, but is met by the strong walls of the Latina. Solid and reinforced by past heart ache, Callie is determined to shut the intruder out for good. But something is brewing, something big is about to happen. That's what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

"Hey." Callie says softly after a long day's work, her last acre finally being brought in today. Blue eyes snap to brown ones. Arizona is caught off guard. That single word is the first word spoken between them since she moved out to the barn. The blonde even glances around the room one more time and over her shoulder to make sure the Latina wasn't in fact talking to someone else.

"Hey…." Arizona replies, more of a question than a greeting.

"Thank you." Callie says, looking away from the piercing blue of the blondes eyes. Every time she feels that gaze on her, her stomach churns and her heart flutters.

Again, Arizona is confused, but knows she's noting going to get any more out of the woman. So she just replies "You're welcome." With that, the blonde moves into the bathroom and takes a shower, her last in this place. The harvest is in and she plans on leaving the next morning. Even if that means leaving her heart here on this farm in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. The two women eat dinner, at least they try to but just end up pushing the food around their plates. Both their minds are bursting with things they want to say, but its their heart that doesn't have the will to speak up. Arizona clears her plate, having had enough of the heavy tension between them.

As the blonde reaches the door, Callie stands and asks "I'll see you tomorrow?" Hoping that this is not the last time she will see the woman before her. Arizona doesn't answer as blue eyes lock on to brown ones, their weeks and weeks of heartbreak and hunger stirring all over again. A surge of hurt makes Arizona push the kitchen screen door open and breaking Callie's gaze. Both women climb into bed, their hearts breaking. Arizona stares straight up to the ceiling, counting the hours til day break when she plans on leaving. Callie tosses and turns, the cold gaze of the blonde burned into her mind. Finally, the landowner summons all her courage and pulls on a pair of boots. She walks the quiet expanse between house and barn, and climbs the ladder. As she steps onto the upper level of the structure Arizona sits up on her elbows, the light glow of the kerosene lantern illuminating dark brown eyes.

Callie takes shaky steps to the blonde, slipping off her boots as she goes. Arizona just watches her, her heart racing faster and faster every inch the Latina closes in on her. Both women know what this is… this is their good bye. This is their end. Arizona sits up, her bare legs hanging off the side of the cot. Callie takes a seat next to her, her own heart going a million miles an hour. They stare into each other's eyes, neither saying a word. Callie is the first one to move a fraction of an inch, Arizona following and then the few inches separating them close. Lips move tentatively over lips. Hunger builds with each passing second, and soon hands make contact with the others flesh. Something ignites within them and it's like their break never happened. Arizona pushes the Latina back onto the cot and lays on top of her. Soon moans of pleasure and lust fill the silent barn and the two women express all the emotions and feelings physically that they couldn't put words to. They drift off to sleep after both of their thirsts have been satisfied, their minds not thinking about the future, but about their past. Their happy times… and not the dark times that lay dead ahead of them.

Arizona's eyes snap open, the thin sliver of sun rising over the horizon alerts her to the new day. Her mind races with the last images she saw before closing her eyes last night. Callie, full of passion and hunger, like she was chasing lightening across the sky. The way Arizona loved her. The way they were during those few good weeks. The Latina's head is on the blondes shoulder, her arm draped over Arizona's toned stomach. The drifter knows that now is the time to act, she has to leave, and she has to leave before the other woman wakes…. Because that would just make it even harder. But, if this summer has taught her anything, its that there are things we don't want to happen, but have to accept; things we don't want to know, but have to learn; and people we can't live without, but have to let go.

Callie's eyes flutter open and immediately a sense of loss floods her. She is alone on the cot, the blonde no where in sight. The Latina bolts up, just her thin t-shirt against her flesh. Her eyes scan the empty loft, and finds no trace of the blonde ever being there. Her boots are gone, along with her pack and water bottle. It's like she was never here to begin with. Tears of pain fall unrestrained from Callie's eyes. Throwing herself back down on the cot, trying to soak up the last remaining essence of Arizona that remains on the old cot below, she feels something smooth against her cheek. She pulls out a piece of paper from underneath her face. It's been torn out of a book, one that Arizona had carried with her during her entire journey across America. A short collection of poems and quotes that was carried by her brother overseas. It gave him hope when hope was fleeting. The Latina smoothes it out and reads the dark print on the heavy paper.

**I shall be telling this with a sigh  
>Somewhere ages and ages hence:<br>Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –  
>I took the one less traveled by,<br>And that has made all the difference.  
>- "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. 1920.<strong>

The lines of that poem seep into the woman's soul, and her heart breaks all over again. Tears fall upon the paper and are absorbed readily, having had the blondes tears splash upon these pages often during times of uncertainty in the mourning of her brother. Where the paper wets, it turns transparent and through teary eyes Callie sees markings on the back of the page. Flipping it over, the tight, neat hand writing of Arizona's script is found.

**I don't regret a thing. With all my heart – A**

Tears fall all over again as Callie falls back to the cot and cries, moans of anguish come ripping out of her body as her heart pains at the loss of her love. Miles and miles away, tears stream from bright blue eyes as the Oklahoma ground flies by her. She was lucky enough to be picked up by a trucker not a mile away from Callie's land, and the blonde readily accepted the offer, wanting to put as much ground between her and the love of her life before Callie woke. Arizona couldn't say good bye to her in person, that's an impossible task.

"You ok, lady?" The scruffy, middle aged white guy asks from the drivers side of the large cab. Arizona's eyes never leave the Oklahoma landscape, the sun just peeking up over the horizon and bathing the ground in its warm rays.

"No…" Arizona whispers. "No… I'm not."

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><p>AN2: …So…<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Ok so… I know a lot of you are surprised by the last chapter and I just want to reiterate something. This is a songfic…Garth Brooks 'That Summer'. If you listen to it, you will know that a young man comes to an older widows farm and helps work it for the summer. They share a passionate affair and then once the summer is over…they part ways. Never to see one another again. NOW… obviously this ending won't do for Arizona and Callie so… let's see if they can manage to find one another again. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 17<p>

Both women mourned the loss of their unknown relationship. The darkness consumed them, making everything fade. Their vision wasn't as sharp, their ears weren't as tuned, their sense of taste dulled. All because of their shattered hearts. But through their pain, they grew. Arizona finished her trip through the states. She visited many more out of the way towns, experienced all of what this great country has to offer. From the ups to the downs. Once she made it as far west as California, she turned north and ended her journey in the rainy city of Seattle, Washington. All the while, the Latina was the foremost thing in her mind. All the sights, the beauty of the country side, the shining lights of Las Vegas, the burning heat of southern California…it all failed in comparison to her first love. That's what Callie was, she was sure of it. Arizona loved the woman, and she would always love her, always remember her. …Always think about her. The blonde was sure that at the darkest of nights, the coldest of days, she could still feel Callie's hungry arms again.

In Oklahoma, fall turns into winter and then into early spring. Callie has had a rough time healing as well. She caved in on herself, just like she did with her husband and baby. She spent a month straight in her bedroom. It was Addison that made sure she had food and water, took regular showers and occasional walks around the house. But then, slowly, the pain started to receded and the happy times with the blonde were remembered more than the bad. Somehow, through the entire affair, the Latina grew stronger. It always gets worse before it gets better… and this was no different. Just after the New Year, Callie walked into her extra room, the one that was suppose to be home to her baby, and pulled out the boxes that she stashed there long ago. One last good cry, saying good bye to George and her unborn son or daughter… and Arizona… she boxed up the baby items and all the things that have hurt her in the past.

One bright early spring morning Arizona walks out of her small month to month apartment, looks to the rare sun and feels her body soak up its precious rays. Her skin has faded back to the fair color it once was. She calculates the time passed, nearly seven months… seven months since she has seen the face she loves outside of her dreams. And the dreams don't come close to the real thing. The blonde's heart still flutters when she sees jet black hair out of the corner of her eye, or a smile that is a fraction as beautiful as the mega-watt one possessed by Callie. She regrets a lot in her life, the fact that she didn't come home that last Easter break when her brother was back in Boston, she regrets stealing that candy bar from the gas station when she was 11, and she regrets walking off that farm. Not one thing during that summer did she regret…besides leaving it. Besides limiting it to one summer.

In Oklahoma, Callie returns to normal, or as normal as she could get and focuses on the upcoming summer and crop season. "How's it looking Cal?" Addison asks as she rings up her friends weekly cart load of groceries. The red head has seen her friend through the ups and downs of the last year. She has witnessed the Latinas highest highs and lowest lows.

"Alright, Adds. How you doing?" Callie asks, a genuine smile on her face. The door opens and the faint bell rings out, announcing the arrival of another patron. The Latina's eyes subconsciously look to the entrance, thinking those blue eyes may once again come marching in through Big Red's doors. Addison see's the look but doesn't comment on it. Callie has healed, but there will always be a tiny piece of her heart floating around out there.

"How you feeling about this season?" Addison questions. Callie hesitates a little bit on this but keeps the smile on her face.

"Ummm…. I don't know. I got a lot of work ahead of me but… I don't know." She says truthfully. This is part of her new plan, to tell the truth even if it makes her appear weak. She lost Arizona because she couldn't tell the woman the truth. Callie gives her friend a good bye and then goes about her regular Saturday errands, then loads up her truck and drives the ten miles out of town, back to her land.

Arizona's heart starts to race as she sees the towns name on passing road signs. It's taken her nearly a week to get here and now her mind is telling her to turn back. That it's been too long and that Callie would never take her back, but her heart tells her she has to try. So, she sold most of what she had, packed her life into a backpack again and bought a motorcycle. She's been driving halfway across the country in hopes of regaining the love she lost. The purr of the old motorcycle and the beat of her iPod have been the only sounds entering her ears for the past week. The familiar scene of the dusty town rolls up in front of her and she instinctively turns into the small parking lot in front of the window that reads Big Red's. Addison looks up from her magazine, not recognizing the loud purr of the motorcycles engine and nearly chokes on her gum as she sees bright golden hair fall out of the persons helmet. Arizona strides into the store, one ear bud in her ear as her shaded eyes peruse the aisles. Pulling her sun glasses up on top of her head, she catches Addison's stare and approaches the counter.

"Addison! It's great to-" Arizona starts but the redhead cuts her off.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" She asks sharply, looking the blonde up and down. Her white collared top is messy and wrinkled, her blue jeans still worn and her boots dirty as ever… but she looks good.

"I… I came back to ummm…" Arizona tries to find an excuse, afraid that Callie had shunned their relationship for good and was still refusing to acknowledge it even to her best friend.

"She was devastated when you left. She's barely functioning now… You can't see her." Addison says, knowing exactly why Arizona is here.

"I know." The drifter says, dropping her eyes.

"You know? …You know. … You know about the months she became a zombie and didn't see the sun. You know about the daily trip I had to take out to her home to make sure she ate and drank? You know-" Addison starts to rant but Arizona cuts her off.

"Yes. I know. Because I went through that too. Ok? …She broke my heart because she didn't trust me enough to talk to me. I tried!" The blonde raises her voice, making the few other patrons around her store look up. "I tried to get her to talk to me but she wouldn't because…. Because…" Arizona tries to find the right term but nothing comes.

"Because she is Callie…" Addison finishes for the woman. The red head knows how hard headed and closed off her best friend can be, and isn't surprised that it led to this… ordeal.

"But I came to get her back." Arizona says, her eyes staring right into the red heads, knowing that this is one of the many tests she will face if she has a shot at being with Callie again.

"Do you love her?" Addison goes into the best friend interrogation mode.

"Yes." Arizona answers quickly and without flinching.

"Do you realize that Callie was hurt worse by you leaving her than from the loss of her husband?" Addison stares right back at the blonde, those blue eyes having no power over her.

"I…I didn't… no." Arizona's voice falters. Hope starts to peak through the layer of doubt at the thought that Callie may still have feelings for her.

"Will you fight for her?" Addison continues her line of questioning.

"Yes." The blonde says this with all her heart. She plans on fighting until Callie physically throws Arizona off her land. A minute of silence passes as both women study each other. When no other questions come from the red head, Arizona figures she has passed this first test and moves on to her own question.

"Was she here today?" Arizona asks.

"It is Saturday." Addison replies as she starts ringing up another patrons order.

"So she is going to the bar tonight?" The blonde remembers her usual movements like it was yesterday.

"No. …She was going to Derricks and then back home. One of her tractors is on the fritz again and she wanted to get it fixed before Monday. So… she's probably waist deep in one of those metal tin cans again." Addison answers. A smile plays at Arizona's lips as she learns that Callie is by herself, on her land. No crowd or friends or Mark or other guys to get in the way of her groveling. The blonde gives Addison a nod and then exits the shop. Pulling on her sunglasses and her helmet, she kicks up the engine of the bike and takes a deep breath. She knows the way to Callie's farm like the back of her hand, but somehow, her brain is resisting it. But she pushes through and turns left at the edge of town and drives down the lonely two lane road. When her bike reaches the junction between concrete and gravel, she stops. Looking back the way she came, she sees nothing. Looking on past, down the road, she sees nothing. Looking up the gravel drive…she sees her future.

Callie is a mess…literally. She has oil and grease and dirt everywhere. The Latina was trying to draw on the information she learned from the blonde so many months ago, but something just wasn't working. It seemed like her truck and her tractors only responded to the touch of that of Arizona. It was the same way with Callie's body, only the blonde's touch could make her purr like a kitten, and the brown eyed woman didn't blame the machines.

"Son of a bitch…" She growls, and starts banging away at the piece. Maybe brute force would work when finesse didn't. The sound of a small engine and the crunch of gravel announces the arrival of a visitor, but she is expecting someone and doesn't look up.

"Thank god." Callie whispered, thinking it was her friend Mark that had come to save the day. Heavy boots moved over the gravel driveway and towards the barn, and then halt at the entrance. Arizona sees the backside of the love of her life, her front half lost into the engine of the tractor. The blonde's palms sweats and her heart races. Here she was… the woman that stole every corner of her mind and soul. She was right here, and all Arizona has to do was say…hello. So then, why couldn't she speak?

"Mark! Get your ass in here and help me with this." Callie shouts from inside the engine chamber of her tractor.

"It's… it's not Mark." Arizona says, it felt like a whisper, but its enough for greasy hands to freeze and a shiver to run down Callie's back. Righting herself, the Latina takes a deep breath and then turns to look at the figure standing at the entrance of her barn. Brown eyes lock onto blue ones. The dirt and grease smeared over Callie's face doesn't fool Arizona one bit, she knows that this woman was the most beautiful creature ever, and all those dreams she had of her were just that… dreams. Nothing like the real thing. Brown eyes quickly take in the blonde's form. Her skin is lighter, having faded from the absence of exposure to the sun. She has helmet hair that the blonde is currently trying to brush down with her hands.

When no one speaks for a minute, Arizona takes a deep breath and says "I ummm… I was wondering if uhhh… if you needed a hand around here." The women's minds race back to nearly a year ago, when Arizona walked into Big Reds and asked if anyone in town needed an extra hand, or a job needing done. It was the start of their relationship… and Arizona wants it to start over again.

"Why?" Callie breathes out. She's come so far, she has finally rejoined the world and was ready to take on the upcoming crop season by herself. Why would the person who broke her heart return? …Just for fun?

"I finished my trip… months ago actually. I ended up in Seattle." Arizona says, not really knowing where she is going with this, but hoping it gives the Latina some sort of answer. "I uhhh… I saw America. That's what I started out to do… and I did it. I wanted to see why my brother loved this country, why he fought for it, why he died for it."

"And did you?" Callie asks.

"Yes." The blonde answers firmly. "Yeah… I realized that its not… it's nothing that can be seen. It's what this country represents. Freedom. Freedom to…to, to be who you are, say what you want, and… and love who you dare to love."

"Love." Callie states. The two women never told each other the extent of their feelings.

Arizona nods. "Love. …That's what my brother died for. Love is why I started my trip. And…" A tear forms in the corner of her blue eyes but she pushes it down. "…and love is what brought me back here." Callie's breathing hitches, her mind reeling. Did Arizona just tell her she loved her? The blonde can see doubt and confusion in the brown eyes ten feet from her.

Taking a step forward, Arizona says softly "Calliope… I love you." A tear slips from those soft chocolate eyes. The tools drop from her hands without her knowledge. "And… I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry I didn't stay and fight because… because I was raised to fight for the things I love. …And I loved you then, with all my heart." Arizona echoes the parting words she scribbled on the back of one of her favorite poems, the same piece of paper that has been sitting on Callie's dresser since that morning she woke up alone. The Latina still doesn't say anything, afraid that at any minute the blonde will say 'gotcha' and leave her heartbroken all over again. Arizona see's Callie is still hesitant, and takes another step forward.

"I left… but I'm here now. And I'm going to fight to be with you because… because I love you and you love me and none of the rest of it matters." Blue eyes stare right in to frightened brown ones. Callie's heart is racing and Arizona can see those strong walls start to crumble. The blonde takes another step and then another. Now they are only three feet apart. Arizona can smell the scent that is Calliope from where she stands and it makes her entire body ache. No dream… no memory can ever bring forward the reminder of the way the Latina smells. It can't be imagined, it can't be recreated… it just is.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Calliope. Tell me that you don't love me. Tell me to leave and I will get back on that bike and go. And I won't come back. …But I couldn't spend another second wondering if you felt the way I felt. I couldn't sit back and hope that our roads may cross again someday. I needed to come here, I needed to see you." The blonde is begging for a word, any word out of the Latina, but once again, like all those months ago, the woman remains silent. Callie is afraid, that's all there is. Afraid of the power this woman has over her, afraid of what Arizona can do to her. The unbelievable highs that she can give her… along with the unbearable lows.

Arizona raises a foot to take another step forward, but Callie says "Stop." The blonde freezes, her breathing halts, her heart stops. She tells herself to prepare for heartache all over again. Prepare to be told that it was all a fantasy made up in her mind, and that Callie really doesn't feel the way she does.

"Stop." Callie breathes out again as she lets out a sob. "Because…" She musters up all her strength and continues "…because if you take another step, I'm never letting you go." Tears stream from her brown eyes as Arizona stares into her soul. The blondes face softens from fear to… what does love look like? A small smile crosses the blondes face and her heart skips a beat. Testing the woman on her threat, Arizona takes a small step forward. Callie's resolve snaps like a twig and she closes the two feet between them. The Latina's hands cup the blondes face as Arizona's hands wrap around her loves strong body. Their kiss is passionate, all consuming, ground shaking, earth shattering. Their tears meet as they run down the women's cheeks, their moans of pleasure and need being swallowed by the other. Seven long months of dreaming…wishing… hoping… and they are finally back together. Their bodies scream for more, but their lungs scream for air and they part, gasping as precious oxygen invades their bodies.

"So…" Arizona breathes out, looking into the same fiery eyes she fell in love with almost a year ago. "…know anyone around here who could use an extra set of hands for the next crop season… or ten?" The blonde asks, a sly smile on her face. Callie lets out a loud laugh and looks into the bright blue eyes that stole her heart long ago.

"I don't know… you have any experience?" She asks, the same question she put to the blonde the first time she asked for a job.

"Yes." Arizona says softly. She places a light kiss on the Latina's lips then says "I have experience. …Life experience. …I've lived life with you. And then lived life without you… and I've found that life without you isn't a life worth living." Callie's heart melts as she pretends to think on it, her thumbs trace over the curve of the blondes. Arizona's hands move up and down the Latina's back, her own skin burning at the thought of the caramel flesh below her tank top.

"I guess that'll do." Callie says offhandedly. Both women laugh and then bring their lips together, tasting and savoring the woman they have yearned to be with again. "I'm sorry." She whispers between locked lips. "So…so sorry." A tear escapes her chocolate eyes and deepens their kiss, trying to push away the hurt and anguish she received from and gave to the woman in her arms.

"Say it…" Arizona whispers after they come up for air again. Her eyes bore into the Latina's soul. "I need to hear you say it." After all this time, she still needs to hear the words. Callie's lips tremble as she thinks about the words she told herself she would never say again. Words she never said in the first place…not to anyone but her own shadow.

"I love you." The words are said so softly, they come out as just breath but it's enough. Arizona heard it, she saw the words leave Callie's lips, she felt Callie's heart mean it. It's enough.

"I guess that'll do." Arizona plays, her heart racing and her dimpled smile shining. Callie mirrors the grin on the blonde and her own mega-watt smile crosses her face. They share another deep, passionate kiss, their bodies melting together and souls uniting.

"Now… what do you say I take a look at that hunk of junk?" Arizona says, gesturing towards the busted tractor that she fixed many times last year. "And then…" The blondes voice trails off, waiting for Callie to finish the sentence.

"And then… we finish what we started.." The Latina purrs, kissing Arizona again. She can't believe that she has the blonde in her arms again. And she plans on making good on her promise. Callie is never letting Arizona go again.

"Only this time…" Another kiss. "No one runs." Callie says, looking deep into the blue eyes inches from hers. "Deal?"

"Deal." Arizona says, and they seal their promise with another blazing kiss. Love floods from their pores and they know that this is the beginning of the end. That this is the start of the rest of their lives. They may not always get along, there may be fights ahead of them… but they've lived without each other and they know what it feels like to lose the other. And it's not happening ever again.

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><p>AN2: The End! Congratulations, you have lived through another one of my crazy stories. Again, I give thanks to SouthernHeart for this awesome idea. Now… I have another story churning in my brain, also the idea of another reader but alas… I have yet to write anything other than a rough outline. So… it may be a couple days before I start the next one. You all will just have to get by with CG. Lol. Now… Let me know what you think! And as always, thank you for the awesome support. You guys are awesome!<p> 


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: So, a lot of you asked for an epilogue for this story. I have been sitting on this for a few days and am finally happy with it. Hope you all are too. Enjoy!

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><p>Epilogue<p>

**7 years later**

"Arizona!" Callie calls out from the back door. "Arizona!" She tries again. The Latina grumbles under her breathe and moves back into the kitchen. Dinner is sizzling on the skillet as the woman moves around the room and sets the kitchen table. Soft padding from down the hall makes Callie look up.

"Sofia, go tell your mother its dinner time, please." The woman says to her mini clone. The 5 year old has the same black curls and dark brown eyes as her birth mother, but somehow has soaked up the blondes laugh and attitude. The girl smiles as Callie gives her a pat on the butt as she passes her. Sofia walks out to the barn and hears the only voice that use to calm her when she was a baby in the middle of the night. Rounding the corner of the barn, she looks into the aged structure and see's her other mother half swallowed by the engine of her families beat up truck. Arizona has her ear buds in and is singing along to one of Tim McGraw's best when a thudding on the side of the truck makes her snap up, banging her head on the raised hood in the process.

"Son of a…" Seeing her daughter, Arizona holds her tongue and tries to rub out the pain. The blonde pulls an ear bud out of her ear and gives a dimpled grin to her daughter.

"Hey Sof, come to help your Mom out?" Arizona asks, her heart melting a little every time she sees how much Sofia looks like the love of her life. …Her first and only love. Along with the blondes laugh, Sofia also picked up Arizona's love of ripping apart cars and other vehicles.

Quickly forgetting why she was out in the barn in the first place, Sofia smiles and says "Yeah! Can I?"

"Of course you can baby girl. Put on your work shirt or your Mami will kill me if you ruin another good outfit." Arizona replies. She watches as the mini-Callie runs over to the work bench and grabs a tiny shirt that is beyond hope of saving and pulls it over her head. When Sofia is back next to her mother's side, her eyes light up as she stares into the belly of the decrepit truck.

"Alright Sof, take this…" The blonde hands over a socket wrench and points to a bolt needing to be undone. "…and see if you can get that off for me." Arizona just leans against the front of the vehicle, watching the little girl work with all her might to try and unscrew the bolt, her little tongue sticking out for added concentration. Whenever her daughter helps her, things slow down to a glacial pace. Every minute, the bright and curious girl asks a question and Arizona is happy to answer it. It reminds her of all the lessons her father use to give, Arizona sitting in the corner of the room or on the edge of the hood and soaking up information like a sponge.

"Like that?" Sofia asks, pulling the bolt free a whole two minutes later, her hands somehow getting covered in grease.

"Just like that." Arizona says proudly. The two spend the next ten minutes working together, Arizona telling her daughter what to do and the child struggling through, wanting to help her mother.

After Sofia had been out in the barn for a good fifteen minutes, Callie is getting upset. Dinner is ready but she has no family to eat it. "What the hell…" She growls then goes to the back door again.

"Awesome!" Arizona exclaims as Sofia successfully completes another step. "Ok, now what we want to do is-" She's cut off by a very upset sounding Latina.

"ARIZONA ROBBINS!" Callie yells from the back door. "Get your ass in this house now, or you will be sleeping in that barn for the foreseeable future!" Then the taller woman steps back into the house, the screen door slamming shut behind her.

Arizona winces at the tone in her wife's voice. Turning to look at her, now very dirty, daughter, she sees a guilty look on that cute face. "You were suppose to come get me for dinner weren't you?" Arizona asks. Sofia just nods slightly. "Well, come on. We better get back before she really gets angry." The blonde plays, making the young Latina giggle just like the once drifter. Once mother and daughter are back in the house, Callie turns and see's two very dirty girls.

Rolling her eyes, the Latina points down the hallway and says "Go wash up before your dinner gets cold." The tone in her Mami's voice makes Sofia immediately run through the kitchen and towards the bathroom. Arizona just laughs and approaches her wife. Callie takes in her lover, the jeans shaped perfectly on the blondes hips and ass, her lean, firm torso stretching up to those strong, bare arms coming out from under Arizona's dirtied tank top. And her wife's favorite blue bandana tied around her head and over her golden hair. The grease and dirt on Arizona's face doesn't cover the blueness of her eyes or the dimples poking out in full effect.

As Arizona attempts to give her wife a kiss, Callie gives her a glare which makes the blonde halt half a foot away from the Latina's lips.

"What?" Arizona asks.

Pointing down the hall, Callie replies "You too, woman." The blondes jaw drops, never before been denied a kiss. A hard glare from her wife and Arizona snarls at her then turns to go wash up. A strong hand on Arizona's arm, and the blonde is spun back around and pulled in for a quick kiss on the lips.

"Knew you couldn't say no." Arizona says triumphantly, giving her lover a wink then joining her daughter in the bathroom as she is scrubbing away at her hands. When both blonde and tiny brunette are deemed clean, Arizona points her daughter back towards the kitchen as she heads the opposite way. Walking past her and Callie's bedroom, she enters the newest built part of their home and into a third bedroom.

"Hey big boy… how are you?" Arizona coos as she approaches a crib. A tiny, four month old, fair skinned baby searches for the source of the voice. Arizona leans over and blue eyes connect with blue eyes. A dimpled smile spreads across the tiny human's face as the blonde lifts her son into her arms.

"Hey bub… you have a good nap? Where you good for Mami while Mommy was trying to save that hunk of junk?" Arizona talks to the baby as she walks into the kitchen.

"Hey, no dissing the truck. It's made it this long hasn't it?" Callie says while she points to the chair Sofia has yet to sit in. "Sit, Sof." She says then situates the high chair at the end of their dinner table. The tiny version of Callie is reluctant to sit and eat her dinner, there being too much broccoli on her plate for her liking.

"Sofia Michelle Robbins-Torres, sit your butt down." Callie says sternly, making the girls stubbornness inherited from her birth mother come out double.

"No. I hate broccoli." She says, giving the Torres glare back to her mother.

"Sofia…" Arizona gives her daughter a stern glare. Just like her mother, Sofia can't take the blondes piercing blue eyes and finally concedes but not without some mumbled Spanish.

"Excuse me, little lady. Do we have a problem?" Callie asks her daughter having heard what she said perfectly.

"No." The small Latina says, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting as far back in her chair as possible. Arizona has been listening as she situates the little boy in his high chair.

"No, what?" The blonde asks.

"No, ma'am." The girl corrects herself.

"Mmmhmmm…" Callie hums as she dishes out her wife's serving and places a small dish of cheerio's infront of her son. Finally, when she sees that her family is set, Callie joins them at the table. As they eat, their daughter fills them in on her day at school. Callie and Arizona are amazed at the sheer curiosity of their daughter. Sofia is always wanting to know more, to know why. Why something works, how it works. She's gotten to the age where she starts asking the 'hard' questions. Ones like 'how does it rain' and 'where do babies come from'. Her interest in that subject quickly peaked when her mother's told her she was about to be a big sister. And, the two women not wanting to lie to her, confusion quickly happened when Sofia asked how her two mommies could make a baby when they had just said it takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby. What a mine field.

"Mommy let me help with the truck!" Sofia exclaims after a recount of her day at school.

"Yes, I saw. You got all dirty again, didn't you?" Callie asks, smiling at the joy her daughter gets working with the blonde. Sofia nods enthusiastically, all the while she is eating around the broccoli on her plate. "Did you fix it?" Again Sofia nods. Arizona has been busy trying to get more of the baby food IN the baby as opposed to on his face or hands or the highchair.

"Babe?" Callie asks, catching the blondes' attention. "Did you fix it?"

Giving up for the time being, she places the cheerios back in front of her son and says "No. I think it might actually be dead this time."

"Where do people go when they die?" Sofia asks, making the two women look at each other.

"Eat your broccoli, Sofia." Callie says, dodging that question for a later time. Turning back to her wife "So… no secret Daniel Robbins magic left in those fingers of your's?"

"Calliope, why don't we just get a new car?" Arizona asks as she gives a look to her daughter who is still not eating her green vegetables.

"Because the truck works fine." Callie huffs as she wipes her son's mouth.

"Obviously not if it dies on you three miles out of town…" Arizona recounts the incident. Walking three miles with a 5 year old isn't fun, let alone in the hot Oklahoma sun. "I am not doing that again… I still got my bike but it's hard to strap a car seat to the back of that thing." The blonde gives her wife a look.

"We just bought a new car." Callie says, taking over baby food duty. She makes airplane noises and the little boy opens his mouth willingly, making his birth mother growl.

"How do you do that?" Arizona asks. Callie just laughs at her. "And no, we didn't buy a new car. We bought a four year old minivan… Cal, we can afford it. The farm is doing great."

"Can we get a mustang?" Sofia asks, throwing out the only name of a car she knows. The married women laugh at their daughter.

"You got good taste, baby girl." Callie says, ruffling the black tresses that match hers. Then turning back to the blonde, she adds. "We'll think about it. When we go into town tomorrow, maybe we'll swing by the auto dealer… see what they have." Which gets a dimpled smile from her wife. "Sofia, broccoli!" She adds.

"No." Sofia says, matching her mother's stubbornness glare for glare.

"Sofia, don't talk back to your mother." Arizona reprimands her.

"I don't like it." The little girls replies. This gets an aggravated sigh out of the Latina. Callie gives her wife a look that says 'take care of this' as she stands and lifts the baby boy out of his chair.

"Come on Timothy, let's get you cleaned up and changed." Callie coos as she moves through the house. Arizona watches her wife leave with their new born son. Her heart swells as she thinks about how much love she has in her life now. How amazing her family is, all because she came back. She came back.

Turning back to the mini version of Callie, Arizona says "It's yucky, I know. I didn't like broccoli either when I was your age."

"Really?" Sofia asks, eyes lighting up.

"Really. But… I wanted to be big and strong when I got older. I wanted to be able to run as fast as the wind, and lift cars off of people…" This gets a giggle out of the girl which makes the blonde's dimples pop. "And that would only happen if I ate my broccoli. You wanna grow up to be a big, strong girl right?" Brown eyes nod, making the blonde's heart melt. "You got to eat your vegetables. They are good for you, I promise." The girl pouts, but she wants to make her Mommy proud of her. She always wants to make her Mommy proud. After a few more encouraging words, Sofia takes a big bite of broccoli and chokes it down, getting a big dimpled smile from the blonde. By the time Callie gets back out into the kitchen with a changed and cleaned Timmy, Sofia is chewing on the last hunk of the green stuff, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Good girl, now go start your homework." Arizona says, giving the tiny Latina a playful slap on the butt which gets a loud squeal out of her. Callie starts to walk her son, gently bouncing and patting his back while the blonde starts to clean up the dishes. This has been the routine they have developed over the years, Callie makes dinner and sets the table, Arizona clears the table and cleans the dishes as Callie gets their boy to settle down.

"How do you do that?" Callie asks, wondering why her daughter listens to the blonde a hundred times more than herself.

"You two are too much alike, Calliope… you just can't say no to the dimples." Arizona replies, sending her wife a seductive wink. "Just like Timmy and me… he never had a chance at not being totally enamored by you." It's true, when the women had their daughter, it was only Arizona who could get her down at night, it was only Arizona who could settle her down if something was wrong. But now, with their son, its Callie that is always up. Arizona tries of course, but it's just not enough. He wants the Latina, and Arizona can't blame him. Callie goes in to the living room to oversee homework time while Arizona finishes up the dishes.

"Sof, let me check…" Callie says as Sofia finishes her two sheets of multiplication problems. Arizona takes her son in her arms for some baby time as Callie and Sofia go over her math, getting another kiss from a proud Mami after all answers were deemed correct.

"Mami, can we go to town tomorrow?" Sofia asks as she pulls out her writing assignment.

"Tomorrow is Saturday baby girl, so yes, we are going in to town tomorrow." Callie says, as her eyes are watching her wife with their fair haired son.

"Will I get to see Lyndsey?" The girl asks, not able to go a day without seeing her best friend from school.

"If Addison brings her to work, yes." Callie replies. Sometime after Arizona came back to Callie, Mark and Addison got together and have been happy ever since. Mark kicked his player habits and the two poped out a baby only a couple months after Callie gave birth to Sofia. A squeal from the tiny baby makes Callie look back up to Arizona, a dimpled smile meeting a dimpled smile. Both sets of bright blue eyes gleaming with joy and love. The loud clap of thunder breaks the calm evening.

"Thank god…" Callie moans, knowing that precious rain is on the way. It had been foretold that this summer was going to be dry, which means a bad crop. It's not like they haven't had a bad crop every now and then, but now Arizona and Callie had two children that ate… a lot. So their allowed margin of error is not as great as it once was. The family spends some quality time together as the sun dips below the horizon. Soon, Callie tells her daughter to get ready for bed, and the family goes about their usual nightly routine. Arizona is in charge of getting the tiny Latina changed; teeth brushed, and then put to bed while Callie takes charge of the tiny blonde.

"Hey…" Callie sighs as she steps into their bedroom after a particularly hard bed time for her son.

"Hey, Timmy down?" Arizona asks from standing in front of the dresser. Photos of their family throughout the years are taped on the mirror, as well as that goodbye poem Arizona left Callie so many years ago. All this time, and the lines of that verse still ring true to both women.

**I took the road less traveled by,  
>And that has made all the difference.<strong>

"Yeah, out like a light." Callie says, coming up behind her wife and wrapping her strong arms around the smaller woman. "Sofia doing alright?" The Latina asks, knowing her daughter and thunderstorms aren't a good mix.

"She fine. She said she could be a brave girl for her Mommy." Arizona replies, a smile crossing her face. Callie starts to nuzzle in close to Arizona's neck, breathing in her scent and lighting both bodies on fire. It's been about…5 years since they've been able to have nights of sex like they did so long ago. Their daughter having the BEST timing ever, but they've still done alright. Adding an addition to the family has cut even more time out of their own play time but they wouldn't change it for the world. Arizona turns and captures her wife's lips, their tongues taking turns in dominance. Callie, whose center is humming for the touch of her wife's, backs them up to the bed and lays on top of the blonde.

"Calliope…" Arizona groans as the Latina's hands start to roam the blonde's body.

"Shhhh…." Callie growls, not wanting to wake their two sleeping children just down the hall. "You have to be quiet, baby." The Latina purrs as her hands slip under the blondes' shirt and pulls it over golden tresses. Arizona's eyes narrow, and in a flash, the two women are spun and the smaller woman is on top.

"Last time I checked, you were the screamer, Calliope." Arizona growls, her own hands working at the shirt and bra of her wife.

"It's been about two weeks since you've last checked…" Callie rebuttals, getting a shocked look on the woman on top of her.

"Ouch… that was cold." The dimpled woman says, getting that sexy, throaty chuckle out of the Latina. Words are forgotten as lips attach back to lips. Bodies are well on their way to being worshipped after too long of a drought, just like the fields are getting relief right now. Jeans are just getting unbuttoned and hands slipping beneath denim when a light cooing from the baby monitor makes both women freeze.

"Shhh… maybe he doesn't mean it." Arizona says, hoping her son has not picked up his sisters impeccable timing. Callie just chuckles and pulls the blondes lips back down on hers, urging strong hands to continued their descent downwards to her throbbing center.

"You know… I've been thinking about selling the farm…" Callie gasps out as Arizona moves south, hands gripping the waistband of her jeans and freeing her lower half.

"Really? Moving into town?" Arizona asks, still focused on her work on the Latina's body.

"No… somewhere else. Maybe move to Miami… I think Sofia would love Miami." Callie replies, her eyes rolling back in her head as her body hums with pleasure from the blondes hand running down her smooth legs. "Would you like it there?"

"As long as you and the kids are there, I'm happy." Arizona replies truthfully. Home isn't a location for the blonde, its where her family is. "Seattle's nice though…" She adds, moving back north to Callie's lips.

"Really? Doesn't it rain a lot?" Callie asks, taking Arizona's face in her hands, her thumbs tracing the curve of the woman's cheeks.

"Yeah… but it's so green, and beautiful. I think you would love it there." The blonde answers.

"I love you." Callie whispers, her eyes dark with love, passion, and desire for the woman above her.

"I love you, Calliope." The woman responds, placing a tender kiss on full lips below her. "Now… no more talking." Arizona says which makes Callie chuckle. Freeing the blonde of her own pants, both are well on their way to getting their releases when another cry over the baby monitor breaks them up.

"Please, please, please, please…" Arizona groans, praying Timmy will go right back to sleep. But another cry, this one more adamant, tells her it's hopeless. Growling, Arizona rolls off her nearly naked wife, Callie laughing at the blonde's antics.

"I got him." The Latina says with a smile, pulling on her robe and heading down the hall. Arizona takes this time to get her pajama's on as well. Soon, Callie is back in their bedroom, a crying Timmy in arms. Arizona watches as her wife walks their son back and forth, slowly making the boy calm down. Callie settles into the bed, leaning against the head board as she continues to slowly rock her son. Another loud clap of thunder and soon tiny feet appear at their bedroom door.

"Mommy?" A tired and scared voice calls softly. Blue eyes leave the blue eyes of her son and darts up to meet brown ones just like her wife's.

"Yeah baby?" She asks, already knowing what her daughter is going to ask. Callie just smiles and shakes her head, knowing her wife is a sucker for those brown eyes of her daughters.

"Can, can I… Can i-" Sofia tries to get out, but another, much louder, clap of thunder makes her jump and the little girl barrels full speed into their bedroom and dives on the bed. Both women laugh as their daughter swims under the sheets and pops her head out the top between them.

"Yes, baby girl, you may." Arizona answers the unspoken question, giving her daughter a loving kiss on her forehead. The little girl curls up and clings to the front of the blondes shirt as Callie lays back, positioning their son on her over her chest. Tired brown eyes meet tired blue ones, both women resigning to the fact that they will be going without for yet another night. Arizona looks at her wife, their son draped over the Latina's chest just like he has been since he was born, and their daughter between them. The blonde never dreamed that when she started on her pilgrimage across America, that she would get a family out of it. A life. A life she never knew she wanted. A life she never knew she needed. Callie feels the soft, steady breathing of son against her chest, the boy gripping the material of her robe with surprising strength. Glancing across the bed, a smile spreads across her face as she watches her wife gently stroke that dark curly hair of their daughters.

"Still no regrets?" Callie asks softly, going back to what the blonde wrote as her parting words to the Latina. Along with the verse from Robert Frost's poem, she left a few words on the back of that piece of paper still taped to their mirror. 'I don't regret a thing.' Arizona smiles as she continues to brush back Sofia's hair, then glances at her wife who is holding their son against her strong body.

Blue eyes connect with brown eyes. "No regrets." And they stay like that, their entire world in that bed with them, until the storm blows over and the morning sun peeks over the Oklahoma horizon, signaling just another day of another summer.

* * *

><p>AN2: So… let me know what you all think. Again, thanks for all the continued support.<p> 


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